Jay Sharrett retires after 20 seasons as Pickerington Central football coach
The timing seemed right to Jay Sharrett to end one of central Ohio’s most successful football coaching tenures.
Sharrett, who announced his retirement Dec. 8, spent 20 seasons at the helm of Pickerington Central, building it into the area’s premier program after a 13-year stint as an assistant.
Under Sharrett, the Tigers went 211-42 with 17 league championships, eight regional titles and Division I state championships in 2017 and 2019.
"If we hadn't poured everything we had into it, we'd have some regrets, but knowing we've done everything we possibly could and when you think about the coaching staff and the motivation of our players and our numbers, it was the perfect timing," said Sharrett, who plans to submit his official retirement paperwork Dec. 9.
Central has had just two head coaches in the last 50 years. Jack Johnson guided the program to a 196-112-3 record with four playoff appearances in 30 seasons.
The Tigers became a powerhouse under Sharrett, with a Division II state runner-up finish in 2006, a Division I state runner-up finish in 2011 and a five-year run of consecutive regional titles from 2016-20 that included a Division I state runner-up finish in 2020.
“He’s been just a great leader, and just his attitude and the way he went about coaching was very needed,” said senior Rasheem Biles, a Pittsburgh commit who started at defensive back and running back. “He was big for this program for sure.”
Sharrett is a 1984 Circleville graduate who went on to play for Capital, where he graduated in 1988 with a degree in secondary education.
After spending two years as an assistant at Whitehall, Sharrett joined Johnson’s staff in 1990. He became Central’s head coach in 2003 after the Pickerington district split into two high schools, having been promoted from defensive coordinator.
The only time the Tigers didn’t make the playoffs under Sharrett was in 2005.
“Just like anything that keeps you somewhere, (you remember) the relationships that you make and the friends you keep,” Sharrett said. “The core of our coaches have been with me for some or all of the 20 years. You see kids born, grow up, go to college, and one of the neatest things about Tiger football in particular is that we’ve only had two head coaches the last 50 years. That’s a testimonial to the coaching staff and the motivation of our players and parents.”
Nearly all of the Tigers’ key players this fall, including four-year starting two-way lineman Kobi Gorman and four-year regular Kasey Middendorf, were seniors.
The top returnee likely will be junior Terrance Alexander, who was the team’s leading rusher and also spent time at wide receiver and wildcat quarterback.
Among those on the Tigers’ coaching staff are a pair of former head coaches in Brian Haffele (Marion-Franklin from 2005-18) and Byron Mattox (Walnut Ridge from 2006-20) as well as longtime assistants such as Jeff Lomonico, Dave Bristle, Ryan Daugherty and Andy Takos.
Sharrett will be retiring from the school district at the end of February after serving as a government teacher and social studies department chair at Central.
His wife, Lynda Sharrett, put together the team program throughout his tenure as coach.
"I think I'll go off the grid for a while," Sharrett said. "This has been one of the most successful programs in the state. I’m hoping for someone on our coaching staff to get the job, but there are some steps they’ll go through to determine that.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Pickerington Central football coach Jay Sharrett retires
