VINCENT — The theme during Warren’s search for a new high school football coach brought the word ‘longevity’ into the equation.

And according to Warren athletic director Steve Harold, he is certain the Warriors have their guy.

Monday evening inside Warren High School, Warren defensive coordinator Jason Gandee was introduced as the program’s 24th head coach.

“I’ve been through three head coaches and learned a lot from each one of them, but you need to have that continuity,” Gandee said. “You look at the good programs. They have continuity.You have to let the kids know what to expect. The teams with continuity have their systems in place, they have their schedules in place.”

As many as 50 friends, family and school administrators were on hand to welcome Gandee to his new role.

‘I’ve been a community member here for 27 years – I consider this to be my home,” said Gandee, who had his wife, Kim, near his side for the announcement. “I know people here, people know me. It means a lot that people would come out and do that for me.”

In addition to seven years of experience as an assistant coach at Warren, Gandee, 51, had a multitude of qualities that made Harold believe his choice would stick for years to come when he offered Gandee the position.

“This process started on January 23 – it’s been a little longer of a process than I wanted,” Harold said.

“But in that process, I think we came up with the best decision. We were looking to identify someone with the following traits that we could lean on for our football program.

“I was looking to elevate our program. Elevating is important for us here at Warren. We were looking for someone who was experienced, knowledgeable and a solid football coach. Someone who was a good communicator and could build relationships with players, families, parents and the community. Obviously, we were hoping for someone for longevity.”

Prior to Gandee’s arrival at Warren, retaining football coaches felt like a revolving door. Since 2000, the Warriors have played under 12 different head coaches. The end result: Four winning seasons.

The most recent coaches, including Gandee, are steering the program in the right direction.Under the helm of Dan Day, Matt Kimes and Jimmy Peyton, Warren made three playoff appearances, with two postseason wins.

Last season under Peyton, Warren finished 7-4 and won a league title outright for the first time since 1995. After three seasons with the Warriors, Peyton took a similar job at Logan High School.

“I expect to win, and we will conduct ourselves in a way to win,” said Gandee, who was a three-sport athlete at Belpre High School and played for coach Don Schaly and the Marietta College baseball team. During the 1995 season, he was named a team captain for the Etta Express.

Gandee is the father of four sons.

“I played for some great coaches at Belpre – in college I played for Don Schaly,” Gandee said. “Other than my parents, those coaches had the most impact on my development as a man. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them.”

Gandee will work off the foundation laid by Day, Kimes and Peyton. He accepted the Warren job last Thursday, so he has hit the ground running and been in contact with student-athletes planning to play next season.

“When I started as an assistant in 2018, this program was probably at its lowest point – We were coming off some rough years,” Gandee said. “Even though those three previous coaches had short stays, they did bring something to the program that we are carrying on. They had a value – if you look at our records and our success, you can see that it’s starting to build.”

Gandee, who spent the past two seasons as Warren’s defensive coordinator, has a large portion of his assembled. He doesn’t plan to alter much in terms of the product on the field.

“I don’t want to change everything,” Gandee said. “In terms of terminology, that’s what we know. So we are predominantly going to be the same type of football team we’ve been.

“I’m excited. My family is ready, except for my daughter-in-law. But it’s a good thing. I’m excited about getting my kids together and getting my staff together – and getting things going.”