RedZone: A.L. Johnson seeking traction under new head coach

There is a lot of pride among the A.L. Johnson faithful. Folks around Thomaston care about their community school and the football team that has entertained them on Friday nights since 1976. But, make no mistake, hard times have fallen upon the Eagles in recent years and the culture established by 20 years of the Mose Jones era has eroded in the process.

Since Jones coached his final game in 2013, A.L. Johnson is a woeful 16-25. Now, the team readies to take to the field with its third head coach in as many years and would like to do more than limp its way into basketball season.

That challenge falls at the feet of Bruce Craig, who just took the reins of the program a few weeks ago. Craig comes to east Marengo County after years as an assistant at larger schools. Craig has served as a defensive coordinator in a variety of places with a coaching resume that includes stops at Vigor, B.C. Rain, Carver-Birmingham, Blount, and Center Point. At larger schools, it isn’t hard to have enough players to run a full practice. The same cannot always be said from smaller, rural schools like ALJ. In Thomaston, job No. 1 is to get players on the practice field.

“Just being consistent with everybody coming to practice. That’s my biggest challenge right now is getting everybody to get here. Most of them don’t have rides and stuff,” Craig said, indicating that it is no lack of commitment from his players but rather a lack of resources and opportunity. “We’ve got a pretty good looking group so far from what I have seen. I think we’re going to be alright in that area.”

Craig’s job performance – like that of most coaches – will be measured from the outside by wins and losses. But, perhaps, his most important task this season will have little to with either of those columns. Craig appears in it for the long haul at ALJ, a commitment that carries with it the imperative of generating belief.

“We’ve got a couple of kids that I like the commitment and the dedication that they’ve got. I’ve got about four or five kids that are here every day. To me, that’s a sign of a winner,” Craig said. If that attitude proves infectious, ALJ will begin competing in more games and then winning more games. If the Eagles do that, the culture starts to shift.

“That’s going to set the tone. Everybody wants to win. If we can be successful this first year, I think I can draw more kids out there, draw the community in to support the program. It’s very important that we be successful this year.”

Fortunately for Craig, he has a healthy group of seniors that have been through the battles at ALJ starting with do-it-all standout Robin Harris. He had 73 tackles last season as well as an interception return for a touchdown to go along with 790 rushing yards, 623 passing yards, 307 return yards and 10 touchdowns.

But Harris’s greatest attribute is his ability to motivate teammates. His fellow seniors will have a lot to say about how their final chapter as Eagles is written. Expect plenty from Lonnie Henton, Ladarius Hood, Dakendreous Jenkins, Rayshawn Steele, J’Cedria Haywood, John Jones Jr. and the other Bruce Craig. If you’re the Eagles’ new coach, that’s a pretty good group to help you change a culture.

This story appears in the pages of The West Alabama Watchman’s annual preseason high school football magazine, RedZone. Look for RedZone in the coming days.