By Josh Beavers
He played and coached for the great Red Franklin at Haynesville.
And Red played for the Bear.
Now, longtime Webster Parish coach John Ware will bring what he’s learned in his 25 years of coaching down Sibley way to Lakeside. Ware was named the Warriors new head football coach on Thursday.
“I’m excited to build Lakeside into a consistent winner and get some stability in the program,” Ware told the Journal. “The Sibley community has a lot of potential, and I really think in the next 10 years it will grow with new housing developments and many more residents. It’s really similar to the way North Desoto is set up. I have a strong relationship with Principal Denny Finley, Coach Gary Cooper and Coaches Will and Bob Gray. I have had so much respect for all of them over the years that goes all the way back to my playing days and early coaching days in baseball.”
Ware has won 100 games as a head football coach.
Lakeside Principal Denny Finley said Coach Ware’s extensive background in winning tradition, combined with the Warriors’ athletic potential, has the makings for great things.
“He has previous head coaching experience at several schools throughout the state,” Finley told the Journal. “Not only does he have a winning record, but he has coached many athletes who have furthered their education and football careers at the collegiate level as well as the professional level.
“We are at a turning point in Lakeside athletics, and have recently upgraded our athletic facilities,” Finley continued. “With an already top-notch faculty that led us to being the district’s first A-rated school and young people interested in growing the athletic program, we have the potential to take the school to a new level. I feel that Lakeside is a hidden gem sitting in rural South Webster Parish. We are on the brink of something really special happening here, and Coach Ware is the man to tie it all together.”
Ware has connections throughout the state which Finley said will help bring other good coaches to Lakeside who have the same vision for building a winning foundation.
“A quality football program led by Coach Ware can have nothing but a positive effect on developing our student-athletes into well-rounded productive men,” Finley said. “He knows how to build a program, and we look forward to pursuing athletic excellence under his leadership.”
Ware said his first steps will be to get to know the student athletes in every sport and to see exactly what needs to be done to make it all better.
“I love football, but I also love all athletics and want to see everyone be successful,” Ware said. “The more you win, the easier it is to continue. It’s a mentality, and Lakeside has been successful over the years. So, I just hope to continue that.”
Ware said football has a lot of moving parts, and it’s more than x’s and o’s. It takes a lot of good people to make it all work.
“We will do things the right way all the time and remain consistent with our expectations daily,” he said. “Success is measured in many different ways, but hard work, discipline, and character are the pillars of all success. I am very excited for the challenges because there will be many, but it will be fun building a culture that will make everyone in the Lakeside community very happy. I know they will support us, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone involved.”
Ware comes to Lakeside from North Webster High School.
“I loved and appreciated my time at North Webster; we had a lot of fun,” he said. “The faculty and staff were always first class. Our coaching staff was made of up of first-class people who did things the right way, and that will continue. The players have a special place in my heart always. My family and I gave our life to that program and community, but sometimes it’s just time to move on.”
He thanked his wife and family for always being at his side during transitions such as the one coming at Lakeside.
“This is my fourth time moving in 25 years; thank God for my wife Alicia. She’s my backbone through it all and is very supportive,” Ware said. “My oldest daughter, Peyten, is a two-time state champion and one-time state runner up in the pole vault and is currently on the NSU track team. Paige, my middle daughter, is an all-American cheerleader at North Webster and will be a senior next year. My youngest daughter, Paisley, will be going into the 6th grade next year, and she loves softball. They will both be attending Lakeside Jr/Sr High next year.”
Ware’s extensive experience includes:
Playing experience – 1990, 1991 state champions at Haynesville, two-time all-district center in football, three-time all-district baseball, all-state in football and baseball. Ware never lost a football game from 7th grade until only one his senior year. That loss was to 5A state power West Monroe. The score of that game was just 21-7, and Haynesville was winning late into the game. All totaled, Ware was 41-1 as player in high school football. He played for and coached with Alton “Red” Franklin.
He played baseball at Southern Arkansas University where he was part of two teams that won Conference Championships in 1994 and 1995.
Coaching experience: Ware spent 1998 to 2006 as the Haynesville head baseball coach where he led the Tors to a 109-73 record. His teams reached one semi-final, one quarterfinal, four round of 16s and one bi-district. His teams won four district championships. In football, he was the defensive coordinator for the Haynesville team that won the state championship in 2000. The Tors shut out 12 of 15 opponents that year.
From 2006 to 2008, Ware was the Bolton High head football coach and athletic director. His teams went to the playoffs two out of those three years and won a district championship. That was the last time Bolton has won the district title since. He took over a program that had won only four combined games in the previous five seasons. Bolton was a complete rebuild. He only had had 24 players the first spring. He had more than 60 players his final season.
From 2009 to 2011, he served as North Caddo’s head football coach. It was a similar situation at North Caddo as it was at Bolton. The team had only won three games combined in the previous five years. Another complete rebound led to a 1-9 record in 2009. Despite that record, he says 2009 was his best coaching year. His team started seven freshmen. The team went 5-5 the next year and 7-4 in 2011.
From 2012- 2023, he was the head football coach at North Webster. He took over a program that was 1-9 in 2011. He said it was a difficult situation in Springhill because of school consolidation, but “we did well and had some great years and lots of fun.”
At North Webster he had a 75-64 record with 11 playoff appearances, four district championships, one semifinal, two quarterfinals, four round of 16s, and four bi-districts.