Phantom Stang
08-28-2006, 05:13 PM
Coach bleeds Cadet colors
Monday, August 28, 2006
By John Werner
Tribune-Herald staff writer
When Stephen Burrow left for Crockett two years ago, there was really only one choice for the Connally Cadets.
Kevin Johnson had coached at the school for nine years under three head coaches. He was a 1989 Connally graduate who knew the community and the football program inside and out.
The Connally administration did the right thing by handing Johnson the head coaching reins and he’s repaid the school with two straight trips to the Class 3A playoffs.
“To get a chance to coach at the school where I graduated has been real rewarding,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t a huge culture shock because I felt I had done a lot of different things in this program to prepare to be a head coach. Working under three head coaches gave me the chance to see different philosophies and pick and choose the best from each.”
The Cadets turned the corner with a 10-2 season under Burrow in 2003 but Johnson has put his stamp on the program by finishing 9-4 and 9-2 in the last two seasons. It’s never easy to get out of District 17-3A, which is annually one of the most balanced and competitive districts in the state.
“Some people call this district the Big 12 of 3A football,” said Cadets junior Dexter Fulbright, a running back and linebacker. “If you can make it out of this district, you’ve got a chance to go deep in the playoffs. We feel like we’ve got our program rolling and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t make it back to the playoffs.”
Johnson has tried to evoke a sense of community by using a lot of players. His message to his players is clear: Team before self. That’s reflected in the statistics because the Cadets seldom ranked among the area individual leaders in the last two seasons.
“Coach Johnson stresses getting everybody involved,” said Connally senior Terence Whitaker, who doubles as a receiver and linebacker. “It’s all about the team and never about the individual. Coach makes us work hard but he also makes it fun.”
The Cadets have the makings of another playoff team with six offensive and seven defensive starters returning. Fulbright should be one of the best two-way players in the district after making 72 tackles and rushing for 350 yards last season.
“Dexter is a soft spoken person but he doesn’t come across that way on the field,” Johnson said. “He’s athletically gifted and has a great awareness of what’s going on out there. He loves the game and it comes across in the way he plays.”
John Jacobs will help the Cadets at running back and linebacker, while Jeremiah Jonse and Whitaker are wideouts who also will contribute on defense. But the key will be replacing quarterback Jordan Williams and Super Centex twin linemen Kevin and Keith Dahman.
Junior Phillip Martinez and senior Bradley Cummings are the top candidates at quarterback. Though the Cadets run a spread offense, Johnson takes pressure off the quarterback by running the ball a great deal.
“We lost some very good kids which means we’ll need some guys to step up and rise to the occasion,” Johnson said. “Quarterback is going to be a big key for us. But we’re blessed that we’ve got so many good skill kids. When we spread the field, we’ve got kids the defense has to honor. When our linemen get into their one-on-one blocking schemes, our running backs are going to be OK.”
Though the offensive and defensive lines need rebuilding, Johnson is encouraged by veterans like Brian Pouge and Bubba Adcock. The Cadets also have a pair of sophomore twins in Justin and Jeff Thomas who could help the line.
“This is a tough district but our goal every year is to win the championship,” Jonse said. “We just want to keep the tradition going.”
jwerner@wacotrib.com
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:D WACO CONNALLY IS GOOD!!!
Monday, August 28, 2006
By John Werner
Tribune-Herald staff writer
When Stephen Burrow left for Crockett two years ago, there was really only one choice for the Connally Cadets.
Kevin Johnson had coached at the school for nine years under three head coaches. He was a 1989 Connally graduate who knew the community and the football program inside and out.
The Connally administration did the right thing by handing Johnson the head coaching reins and he’s repaid the school with two straight trips to the Class 3A playoffs.
“To get a chance to coach at the school where I graduated has been real rewarding,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t a huge culture shock because I felt I had done a lot of different things in this program to prepare to be a head coach. Working under three head coaches gave me the chance to see different philosophies and pick and choose the best from each.”
The Cadets turned the corner with a 10-2 season under Burrow in 2003 but Johnson has put his stamp on the program by finishing 9-4 and 9-2 in the last two seasons. It’s never easy to get out of District 17-3A, which is annually one of the most balanced and competitive districts in the state.
“Some people call this district the Big 12 of 3A football,” said Cadets junior Dexter Fulbright, a running back and linebacker. “If you can make it out of this district, you’ve got a chance to go deep in the playoffs. We feel like we’ve got our program rolling and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t make it back to the playoffs.”
Johnson has tried to evoke a sense of community by using a lot of players. His message to his players is clear: Team before self. That’s reflected in the statistics because the Cadets seldom ranked among the area individual leaders in the last two seasons.
“Coach Johnson stresses getting everybody involved,” said Connally senior Terence Whitaker, who doubles as a receiver and linebacker. “It’s all about the team and never about the individual. Coach makes us work hard but he also makes it fun.”
The Cadets have the makings of another playoff team with six offensive and seven defensive starters returning. Fulbright should be one of the best two-way players in the district after making 72 tackles and rushing for 350 yards last season.
“Dexter is a soft spoken person but he doesn’t come across that way on the field,” Johnson said. “He’s athletically gifted and has a great awareness of what’s going on out there. He loves the game and it comes across in the way he plays.”
John Jacobs will help the Cadets at running back and linebacker, while Jeremiah Jonse and Whitaker are wideouts who also will contribute on defense. But the key will be replacing quarterback Jordan Williams and Super Centex twin linemen Kevin and Keith Dahman.
Junior Phillip Martinez and senior Bradley Cummings are the top candidates at quarterback. Though the Cadets run a spread offense, Johnson takes pressure off the quarterback by running the ball a great deal.
“We lost some very good kids which means we’ll need some guys to step up and rise to the occasion,” Johnson said. “Quarterback is going to be a big key for us. But we’re blessed that we’ve got so many good skill kids. When we spread the field, we’ve got kids the defense has to honor. When our linemen get into their one-on-one blocking schemes, our running backs are going to be OK.”
Though the offensive and defensive lines need rebuilding, Johnson is encouraged by veterans like Brian Pouge and Bubba Adcock. The Cadets also have a pair of sophomore twins in Justin and Jeff Thomas who could help the line.
“This is a tough district but our goal every year is to win the championship,” Jonse said. “We just want to keep the tradition going.”
jwerner@wacotrib.com
---------------------------------------------------------
:D WACO CONNALLY IS GOOD!!!