Athletic Director Len Carlson is ushering in a new era of football at Chancellor High with the hiring of head varsity coach Adwela Dawes of Fredericksburg.
“With Dawes at the helm, I’m confident the football program will grow and prosper,” Carlson said. “We are fortunate to have Dawes’ experience — it will play a key role in the kind of success we want.”
Dawes won a AAA, Division 5 state football championship in 1999 at Culpeper High School, where he was an all-region linebacker. From 2001 to 2003, he attended Averett University, where he played as a wide receiver, kick returner, and punt returner.
After his college career, Dawes played professional football in the Arena League for six years. In 2022 and 2023, he coached in Australia, serving as head coach for the Monash Warriors and the Gold Coast Stingrays.
More than 30 candidates applied for Chancellor’s head coaching position, which was posted in December. Eight finalists were selected for panel-style interviews in January. Carlson said he and Chancellor’s stakeholders were thorough in their due diligence throughout the hiring process.
Current Deep Run High School assistant football coach and former Riverbend High standout Orlando Jones, who was a finalist for the head coaching job, will be brought on as Dawes’ offensive coordinator.
Berlyn Thomas, another candidate for the head coaching position, has accepted an assistant coaching role and will also serve as the lead strength and conditioning coach. Coach Klarke Castellanos, who was Chancellor’s defensive backs coach last year, participated in the interview panel and will return as an assistant coach.
“I’m super excited — we lucked out and were able to hire three of the eight coaches we interviewed in some capacity,” Carlson said.
Beyond football, Dawes has traveled the world as a reggae artist, opening for Grammy-nominated performers such as Boyz II Men.
A lifelong football enthusiast, Dawes had been keeping an eye on head coaching vacancies in the area. His hiring at Chancellor marks a full-circle moment — he was previously turned down for head coaching positions at both Caroline and Chancellor in 2021.
“Although I have known Carlson for over 15 years through sports, I received no handouts in obtaining this position — I wasn’t even a finalist four years ago,” Dawes said. “I have been building my coaching résumé over the years so that I would be undeniable.”
With only five wins in the past three seasons, Dawes believes Chancellor is the right fit for him, and he’s confident he can turn the program around.
“Chancellor has given me their full support, and our team definitely has potential with 17 seniors returning,” he said.
Key returning players include All-District selections JJ Billingsley and Nigel Asamoah, as well as honorable mention wide receiver Logan Hunter.
Dawes is committed to running a clean football program and credits former Spotsylvania head coach Ben Lawrynas for mentoring him early in his coaching career.
“I do this for the kids and the community — it’s not about me,” Dawes said. “Looking good under the Friday night lights will uplift the athletes, parents, coaches, and the entire Chancellor family.”
Chancellor will introduce Dawes as its new head coach at 6 p.m. Thursday in the school library.
