It was an offseason of big changes for two of the area’s largest high football programs in northeastern Alabama. Both North Jackson and Scottsboro have new coaches, and while the changes weren’t as drastic at Ider and North Sand Mountain, those programs also experienced turnover.
North Jackson had a very disruptive coaching situation when David McKinney, the replacement for longtime coach Shawn Peek, abruptly resigned just days before spring practice. The Chiefs, who finished 7-5 last season, went through the spring and early summer with a group of volunteer coaches overseeing workouts before Leeds assistant Tony Johnson was hired in June.
After gaining the trust of the team, Johnson began putting together a completely new staff and installing new offensive and defensive systems.
“It’s a lot of change and the kids are having to make the adjustment in a short amount of time,” Johnson said. “It’s a lot on them, and you have to be patient, but you also have to find the kids who can pick things up quickly and move forward.
“It wasn’t an ideal situation for anybody, but we’re not in the business of making excuses. This is one of the premier high school jobs in the state, and I’m honored to be coaching here. We still have talent and we’ve still got the same high expectations that the program was built on.”