Football preview: North Johnston turns to new coach with winning pedigree

By Randy Capps

KENLY — Sometimes a coach’s family needs can intersect with a good career move. Kyle Schenk and North Johnston are hoping that’s the case.

Schenk won a 1A state title at St. Mary’s in Kansas, and when his wife accepted a job in the Triangle, he found himself on the job market.

“We started looking kind of close to that area and then worked our way out,” he said. “We started seeing how big the schools were … and we kind of like the slower country life.

“(We found the) North Johnson area and kind of did some research on it… we took a chance and applied. And we're lucky enough to have the opportunity to lead the program here.”

North Johnston competes on the 2A level, with an enrollment far greater than his previous school, which will have about 170 students this fall.

He’s been in the area since May, and he’s been getting to know his coaching staff and his players.

“Coach (Michael) Parrish was the defensive coordinator here last year,” he said. “I sat down and watched film and I said, ‘hey, you know I think they're doing a good job.’ I'm going to let Coach Parrish lead the defense. So defensively, I think we'll be pretty similar to what we were last year. And then offensively, we’ve got to adapt and we want to be efficient. We want to play fast, and we want to be physical in that process.”

While the defense, which allowed just over 20 points per game while posting three shutouts, may look similar, the offense could look a little different.

“We’ve got two or three guys competing for the quarterback) position,” Schenk said. “I think that, offensively, our identity has to take the role of our quarterback. That might be somebody who lends himself to running the football more. It might be somebody who's better at Kaleb Pone completed 30 of his 59 attempts for 313 yards and two touchdowns last season, and is also the leading returning rusher with 299 yards and a score.

David Estrada and Christian Garcia will bolster the offensive line for a unit looking to build on a 23.6 points-per-game scoring average.

Schenk has certainly hit the ground running, and he’s already enjoying life in “friendly Kenly.”

“What a great community North Johnston has,” he said. “It’s great support. The parents are awesome, and the booster club is part of that. I'm pretty lucky. It’s an awesome community here.”