Colin Ponder takes the reins of Saint James football program

Posted by author February 21, 2025 Football

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After spending nine years as an assistant football coach at Saint James, Colin Ponder has taken the reins of the program.

Ponder, 32, recently was named the Saints’ head coach, taking over for John Root, who stepped down in December.

In Root’s 12 years at the helm, Saint James went 61-45 and had nine winning seasons, including the last five straight.

“John’s been a great mentor to me, a great friend to me these last nine years,” Ponder said. “He’s obviously built an incredibly successful program. I want to keep that going, and I also want to build on that in any way I can.

“He’s laid a very strong foundation that I have a responsibility to live up to, but it’s also my job now to build on that foundation and try to continue that momentum.”

Wayne Jacobs is set to return as the Saints’ offensive coordinator, and Chad Carter will replace Ponder as the team’s defensive coordinator. Carter worked as an assistant coach at North Hagerstown from 2017-22, and last fall, he was the head coach of the Hubs’ girls flag football team in their inaugural season.

“(Carter) brings a lot of experience, which I value as a young first-time head coach,” Ponder said. “And he knows us, he knows our program. His son Aiden played for us the last two seasons. He knows Washington County, and he knows local families, and he can really help us raise our profile locally.”

Ponder, who also teaches English at Saint James, graduated from Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg in 2011 and from the College of William & Mary in 2015.

What is he hoping to immediately achieve as the Saints’ head coach?

“We don’t compete in playoffs, and unfortunately the conference we were in has taken a bit of a pause, so we technically don’t have a conference championship to compete for at the moment either,” he said.

“As for goals, we’ve had five straight winning seasons, and we’re going to make it six. As for lofty goals, I’d love to win every game. At the end of the day, I want to win football games, and I want to help prepare our young men, setting them up for future success outside of football.”