Football preview: American Leadership Academy makes jump to NCHSAA

By Randy Capps

The 2023 football season was already in the books for American Leadership Academy when its fortunes for 2024 and beyond changed dramatically.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) approved the charter school’s membership application, allowing it to join Johnston County’s other public schools.

The downside for the Patriots is, until the NCHSAA realigns for the 2025-2026 school year, they are without a conference.

The result is a patchwork schedule of public and private schools — and nine road games for ALA’s foray into varsity football this fall.

“(We) hope to build off of two consecutive undefeated JV seasons,” head coach Nate Blackburn. “We will have a very young varsity team with no seniors and only nine or so juniors, but we feel like we have built a strong foundation to have continued success going into our first year as a part of the NCHSAA.”

Blackburn will look to a few key returners to lead the way on offense, like junior offensive lineman and captain Josh Crenshaw, junior running back Anthony Bonilla, who rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 22 touchdowns in his first two JV seasons and sophomore running back Cam Thaxton, who recorded 700 yards and 10 scores last season in his first time ever playing football.

Sophomore linebacker Elijah Fulton tallied 100 tackles last season, and leads “a very strong linebacker group.”

Another sophomore, Ian Wands, a transfer from Green Hope, will get the first crack at the starting quarterback job. With good health, the entire core of this team should be more experienced and ready for its entry into a conference for the 2025 campaign.