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Ashton Watts will be venturing into familiar territory as the new head football coach at Wekiva High. He was a player at Ocoee High when Wekiva opened in 2007 as a relief school that pulled in students from overcrowded Apopka and Ocoee and Evans.
Watts replaces Doug Gabriel, who stepped down after two seasons with the Mustangs. Wekiva has been in a bit of a rut since losing head coach Rich Bedesem, who was controversially fired following a post-game altercation between players from Wekiva and Mitchell High during the 2020 playoffs.
Since that season, Wekiva has gone through two head coaches — Gabriel and Jeremiah Rodriguez-Schwartz — and has not had a winning season in five years, going 17-35 in that span. The Mustangs were 1-9 in 2025.
In Bedesem’s tenure, which began in 2016, he elevated the program and the Mustangs were 43-16 in five seasons, making the playoffs as district champions four years in a row.
Watts knows the recipe for success exists.
“I’m very excited. I think there is a lot of potential here and some great kids,” Watts said. “I know what the stigma is behind Wekiva right now and the discipline, but I’m excited. They are great kids.”
At least three Wekiva players transferred to other schools last season and Watts said there are players roaming the hallways who should be on the football team. His challenge, he said, is to keep Wekiva kids home and build a new culture.
“I just think if we change the culture in our locker room, football always has a way of changing the culture and the climate of the entire school,” Watts said. “I think if we change the locker room, we change little things and focus on the little details it will translate over and the kids will see us doing something different and it will affect the school.”
Watts went from Ocoee to play at Marietta College in Ohio. After his playing days ended, he returned to Orlando to coach and started out as an assistant to former West Orange coach Bob Head. He then returned to Ocoee as an assistant to Ben Bullock and Aaron Shepard. When Shepard stepped down in 2023, Watts joined the staff of Dennis Thomas at Horizon for the past two seasons.
“The history is already here. I think [Wekiva] is the team with the most active NFL players in Central Florida right now,” Watts said, referring to San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Tyler Davis. Also, safety Brandon Hill is on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad and offensive lineman Tashawn Manning spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals last offseason.
“A lot of kids are walking the halls here who didn’t play, for whatever reason, and we’re trying to get those kids back and try to remind people that Wekiva is a force to be reckoned with,” Watts said.
Watts will bring onboard longtime Orlando-area youth coach Jerry Middleton as his assistant head coach. The two teamed up to coach the Ocoee Bulldogs to a pair of Pop Warner national championships in 2015 and 2017.
“He knows the culture here and we understand each other, and we both understand the gold mine that we are sitting on here,” Watts said.
He’s excited to get going with his first head coaching job.
“There are a lot of emotions. I was under some great head coaches,” Watts said. “Coach Head and Coach Bullock and Coach Sheppard and then Coach Thomas was one of my coaches in high school at Ocoee and to be under him as a coach, I learned a lot and I think I’m prepared.
“I can’t really get over the excitement part. I know there is a lot to learn on the back end of things, being a head coach, the foundational things. But I’m just overjoyed and I feel blessed. God gave me the opportunity that I am ready to take.”
It’s a challenge he has accepted and is very optimistic about, moving forward.
“The challenge is getting over the rut that we’ve been in over the last few years,” Watts said. “Trying to get kids back to Wekiva. Kids who are going to Evans and all these other places. Kids that belong at Wekiva.
“Trying to give them something to be proud of and getting the community on board with understanding our mission. God, family and education, and hopefully we can move forward from it.”
Chris Hays can be found on X.com@OS_ChrisHays.
Continue reading...
Watts replaces Doug Gabriel, who stepped down after two seasons with the Mustangs. Wekiva has been in a bit of a rut since losing head coach Rich Bedesem, who was controversially fired following a post-game altercation between players from Wekiva and Mitchell High during the 2020 playoffs.
Since that season, Wekiva has gone through two head coaches — Gabriel and Jeremiah Rodriguez-Schwartz — and has not had a winning season in five years, going 17-35 in that span. The Mustangs were 1-9 in 2025.
In Bedesem’s tenure, which began in 2016, he elevated the program and the Mustangs were 43-16 in five seasons, making the playoffs as district champions four years in a row.
Watts knows the recipe for success exists.
“I’m very excited. I think there is a lot of potential here and some great kids,” Watts said. “I know what the stigma is behind Wekiva right now and the discipline, but I’m excited. They are great kids.”
At least three Wekiva players transferred to other schools last season and Watts said there are players roaming the hallways who should be on the football team. His challenge, he said, is to keep Wekiva kids home and build a new culture.
“I just think if we change the culture in our locker room, football always has a way of changing the culture and the climate of the entire school,” Watts said. “I think if we change the locker room, we change little things and focus on the little details it will translate over and the kids will see us doing something different and it will affect the school.”
Watts went from Ocoee to play at Marietta College in Ohio. After his playing days ended, he returned to Orlando to coach and started out as an assistant to former West Orange coach Bob Head. He then returned to Ocoee as an assistant to Ben Bullock and Aaron Shepard. When Shepard stepped down in 2023, Watts joined the staff of Dennis Thomas at Horizon for the past two seasons.
“The history is already here. I think [Wekiva] is the team with the most active NFL players in Central Florida right now,” Watts said, referring to San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Tyler Davis. Also, safety Brandon Hill is on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad and offensive lineman Tashawn Manning spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals last offseason.
“A lot of kids are walking the halls here who didn’t play, for whatever reason, and we’re trying to get those kids back and try to remind people that Wekiva is a force to be reckoned with,” Watts said.
Watts will bring onboard longtime Orlando-area youth coach Jerry Middleton as his assistant head coach. The two teamed up to coach the Ocoee Bulldogs to a pair of Pop Warner national championships in 2015 and 2017.
“He knows the culture here and we understand each other, and we both understand the gold mine that we are sitting on here,” Watts said.
He’s excited to get going with his first head coaching job.
“There are a lot of emotions. I was under some great head coaches,” Watts said. “Coach Head and Coach Bullock and Coach Sheppard and then Coach Thomas was one of my coaches in high school at Ocoee and to be under him as a coach, I learned a lot and I think I’m prepared.
“I can’t really get over the excitement part. I know there is a lot to learn on the back end of things, being a head coach, the foundational things. But I’m just overjoyed and I feel blessed. God gave me the opportunity that I am ready to take.”
It’s a challenge he has accepted and is very optimistic about, moving forward.
“The challenge is getting over the rut that we’ve been in over the last few years,” Watts said. “Trying to get kids back to Wekiva. Kids who are going to Evans and all these other places. Kids that belong at Wekiva.
“Trying to give them something to be proud of and getting the community on board with understanding our mission. God, family and education, and hopefully we can move forward from it.”
Chris Hays can be found on X.com@OS_ChrisHays.
Continue reading...
