Josh Ekovich, left, replaces Tom Wogomon as head football coach at Wawasee High School. Wogomon left the program earlier this year to take the head coaching job at Northridge. (Photo by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – To select the new head varsity football coach, Wawasee High School chose to promote from within. During a brief meeting late Monday afternoon in Syracuse, the Wawasee school board unanimously approved the hiring of Josh Ekovich, age 28, to replace Tom Wogoman who resigned earlier this year and is now the head football coach at Northridge High School.

Ekovich had been the offensive line coach under Wogoman the past two seasons, as well as the strength and conditioning supervisor and head JV football coach, and maintaining staff continuity was a major factor in Ekovich being selected. Steve Wiktorowski, Wawasee athletic director, told the school board the committee formed to find a new head coach felt it was very important to keep the coaching staff together as much as possible. Ekovich was chosen from a group of candidates originally numbering 25 before being narrowed to 10 for first interviews and three for second interviews. Five of the 25 were in-house candidates.

Wiktorowski added the selection process was “very thorough and time consuming” and between two interviews lasting nearly three hours, Ekovich was asked “some very tough questions.”

“We feel he (Ekovich) will help the strength and conditioning program for all of our athletes, not just football,” Wiktorowski noted, and Ekovich is familiar with the “Warrior Way” attitude of character and community service being promoted in the Wawasee system.

Though Ekovich is two years shy of age 30, he does have football coaching experience including two years (2008 and 2009) as an assistant offensive line coach at Saint Francis University in Fort Wayne, where he played football and three times played in the national championship game. He was also the DeKalb Middle School head coach and varsity assistant for one season (2010) before coming to Wawasee.

While being interviewed by the selection committee, he emphasized he could help maintain consistency and keep the current coaching staff together as much as possible. He noted he wants an opportunity to “give something back to kids like I was given when I played football.”

Ekovich said he is attracted by the Wawasee position because the community reminds him of what he grew up in and he feels comfortable in it. The offensive system he plans to run will be similar to what Wogoman utilized, but with a few tweaks.

As far as his goals, winning the Northern Lakes Conference and a sectional title are obvious ones, but developing kids “who want to work hard and play hard” is another major goal, he said. And he acknowledged the expectations are high because Wawasee has been successful in recent years.

Ekovich is married to Jeni and they have two children: Tyler, 4, and Kalyn, 1. The family lives in Avilla presently. Josh is a 2003 graduate of New Prairie High School in New Carlisle and a 2008 graduate of Saint Francis.