I attended the press conference for new St Aug head coach David Johnson today at the school.
The 37 year old Johnson is an impressive individual. A graduate of John F Kennedy high school class of 1989, Johnson spent the last four years at Millsaps College in Jackson. He was wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.
Johnson was at St Aug for fall practice in 2005. Before the Hurricane he was on the staff of head coach Tyrone Payne.
Johnson has several obstacles to overcome to get St Aug back to the top of the Catholic League. One, he has increased competition in Gentilly with the arrival of the new Holy Cross school.
He has a smaller pool of schools and students to choose from. The feeder schools that fed St Aug were greatly impacted by Katrina. School officials said today that the enrollment for grades 10 thru 12 is 387. Pre Katrina it was 610.
School policy is also an issue. St Aug's policy is this: an F grade in any subject at the end of the quarter eliminates a student from any extracurricular activity.
Principal father John Raphael said the school's "moral obligation" is to educate. No argument here, but such a policy could make life tougher for the school's football coach.
David Johnson said he will retain three of the current assistants, including defensive coordinator Delphrine Lee, and wide receivers coach Brandon Smith.
Ed Daniels
St Augustine HS
Friday January 30