Jimmy Peyton encourages players during last year’s Marietta-Warren game in Vincent. After three seasons at Warren, Peyton has accepted the head coaching position at Logan High School. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

VINCENT — After three seasons at the helm for the Warren football program, Jimmy Peyton has taken the head coaching position at Logan High School.

Peyton’s time with the Warriors has come to a close following a successful 2024 campaign that saw Warren claim the Twin State League championship and advance to the Division III playoffs.

Despite cherishing his time in Vincent, Peyton couldn’t pass up the opportunity to lead the Chieftains.

“Being an Ironton guy, I grew up in a culture of how the coach there did things,” Peyton said. “He really bought in and believed in how he went about his process, and he always talked about Logan and respected them. The history, Logan was really good in the 70s and 80s. Coach Dale Amyx had a lot of success there at Logan, and there’s a lot of community support with the football program.”

The Chieftains made the D2 playoffs last year despite a 1-9 record. It’s a program looking to turn things around, but not necessarily in need of a culture shift.

“We started weights this week and had 60 to 65 kids in the weight room,” Peyton said. “There’s good kids there with some talent. It’s obviously going to be a tough out. We play in the (Ohio Capital Conference) right now. We’re going to have to build that weight room mentality. Everything starts and finishes in the weight room. That wins. That’s what builds a good program.”

Peyton took over at Warren in 2022. After going 3-8 in 2021, the Warriors went 4-6 in both 2022 and 2023 before breaking out last fall. Peyton guided WHS to a 7-3 record, including wins over Marietta and Fort Frye to claim the program’s first outright league title since 1995.

The Warriors earned the 16th spot in the Region 11 playoffs, falling to top-seeded Watterson in the first round.

“I learned more about myself than anything else,” Peyton said. “I’ve only been a head coach for four years, and it’s a growing process. You’ve got to be willing to grow through it. Football is a humble man’s game, whether you coach it or play it. When things aren’t working sometimes, you’ve got to be willing to change and understand you don’t have all the answers.”

After decorated playing careers at Ironton High School and Joliet College (Ill.), Peyton got into coaching. He took his first head coaching job in 2021 at Missouri Military Academy and went 5-3, the program’s first winning season in 34 years, before coming to Warren.

“Not everything I did there worked at Warren,” Peyton said.

“You look at the big picture when you take over a program. You know what it takes to win, and when things are that way you have to make them that way so everybody understands the goal is to ultimately win and create better opportunities for these kids through football.”

Peyton’s biggest takeaway from his time at Warren will be the bonds he built with the players.

“I’ve loved my time at Warren,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed the relationships I had with the kids. To watch them grow — Owen Thompson for instance. He’s a kid that maybe wasn’t quite sure of his role, then this summer he came to me and said he wanted to be committed. Then he went out and got first team all-state. If you look at Warren football during my time there, it’s Owen Thompson, it’s Jacob Sealey, it’s Tanner Pepper, it’s Landyn Summers, it’s Owen Bookman, it’s Max Frye — all those kids worked their tails off. They bought in and wanted to win, and they were able to win.

“As a coach you get caught up in wanting to win and lose focus of what’s really important. When I look back on this thing, the special thing about it is that all these kids committed, and they accomplished those things — playoffs, winning the league — we made those things a part of our process.”

Peyton replaces Mike Eddy, former Parkersburg South head man, at Logan. Peyton will return to Vincent week three next season as the Chieftains are slated to visit the Warriors on Sept. 5.

“Friday night in Vincent is something I’ll never forget,” Peyton said. “I wish them the best of luck moving forward.”