Cole Williams experienced extreme highs and lows during his five-week audition as Ripon High’s head football coach last fall.

The Indians’ season ended in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs with a 35-0 thud at Liberty Ranch, but Williams was not discouraged by the outcome.

What he learned from the experience as a whole was that he was built for this, and there is nowhere else he’d rather be.

The interim tag has been removed, as Ripon recently announced Williams as its new head coach.

“I’m super excited. This has been a long-term goal of mine, which was to take over a program — specifically, take over this program,” Williams said. “If I wanted to just be a head coach, that could have happened a long time ago, but I wanted it to be here.

“This is home. It’s where I spent 15 years helping build the program. This is where I ultimately wanted to be, and why I became a teacher here.”

The social studies teacher takes over for Chris Musseman, the 2019 Cal-Hi Sports Small Schools State Coach of the Year who resigned from the position just days leading up to the team’s much-anticipated Week 7 cross-town game at Ripon Christian.

“I had to learn on the fly in a tough situation, but I learned a lot about myself,” Williams said. “It really solidified my coaching philosophy, why I’m here and why I do what I’ve loved doing for the last 15 years. It made me fall back in love with the game a little bit because it was such a challenge.”

Ripon needed to win two of its final four regular-season games to qualify for the postseason. The Indians were routed by Ripon Christian 30-6, but responded with what may have been the upset of the season, prevailing in a 27-15 slugfest against eventual state champion Sonora. They locked up their playoff spot in Week 10, edging past Hilmar, 27-26. It’s Ripon’s first win at Hilmar since 2017.

“Getting through that first week was very tough for everybody,” Williams said. “That was kind of the tipping point of the program. Are we folding in, or are we getting through this together and move forward?

“The team decided that wasn’t who we are in the RC game. They came out, changed their mind set and shocked some people. We got our two wins and got into the playoffs.”

Williams brings both continuity and change.

A product of Colony Oak Elementary School, he started his prep career at St. Mary’s before transferring to his now-alma mater in the middle of his junior year. A football and baseball standout, he graduated from RHS in 2005 and went on to play both sports at Whittier College.

Williams returned to Ripon High as an assistant under then-head coach Chris Johnson in 2008 and has remained ever since, earning an increased roles on campus along the way — including his teaching position that began in 2021. He was co-defensive coordinator for the varsity squad in 2017 and 18 before taking over as the full-time DC in 2019 when Ripon claimed the Division IV-AA state title.

Williams said that many of the coaches from the previous regime have expressed interest in returning, though he has plans of tweaking their individual roles.

“It’s a united front,” Williams said. “I’ve been fortunate to work with great guys, staff members who have been around for a long time. These are good men who are good for the program and for the kids.”

He also plans to keep some form of the Wing-T, that has been successful for the program over the years. Williams introduced the run-pass option based Gun-T last year.

“We’re just scratching the surface with it,” Williams said. “I love the offense. It hits my Wing-T background but also gets us into the modern era.”

Beyond the Xs and Os, Williams looks most forward to establishing his own philosophies and a new culture for a program with heightened expectations. Both lower-level teams were undefeated this past year, and current crop of talented sophomore will join forces with an experienced junior class that has depth in the trenches.

“Expectations are higher than ever, there’s no question about that” Williams said. “Expectations are higher on the players and the coaches. Ultimately, I’m looking forward to refresh and change the culture to an all-on-board mind set, making sure that everybody is on the same page and bought into doing things the right way.”