North Johnston hopes a simplified approach leads to more success

By RANDY CAPPS

Last fall, North Johnston didn’t score a touchdown until it tallied four of them in a 28-6 Neuse Six 2A Conference win against Spring Creek in Week 6.

It was the end of a slow start to what turned out to be a 2-8 campaign, but those growing pains came with a silver lining. Fourteen starters from last season’s team will be on hand again this fall, and head coach Michael Barnett is excited about the group’s progress.

“We’re so far ahead of where we were last year it’s unbelievable,” he said. “We switched offenses. It took me a while to commit to that thing, but now I’m married to that thing. This summer, the timing has gotten better. Our ball security has gotten better. Our assignments have gotten better. We simplified some things, and the kids have bought into it. I’m really really looking forward to our offensive output this year.”

As the 2021 season progressed, the Panthers morphed into a single-wing offense. It was a move designed to make things a little less complex and play to his team’s strengths.

“We struggled offensively last year, and I couldn’t put my finger on it,” he said. “So, I went back to the drawing board. I remembered the guy from Union, (John) ‘Doc’ Ward, who runs the single wing, and I called him up. That’s how we got hooked on it.”

Two of the three leading rushers from last season, Cooper Gibson (357 yards) and Ayden Pone (149 yards) return at the head of what could be a rather large contingent of would-be ball carriers.

“We’ve got about seven running backs who could start, so I’ve decided to do it by committee and pair them up,” Barnett said. “Because those seven guys play defense as well. Our goal is to keep games as close as we can until the fourth quarter, and then that freshness can maybe push us over the hump.”

Gibson and Pone figure to play key roles on defense as two-way players, as should Adrian Durant. The unit, which took its lumps at times last fall, should be improved.

“We’ve got sophomore Traquin Watson playing outside linebacker and Jordin Moore, he’ll be a junior, they’re going to anchor our defense,” Barnett said. “He’s our contain man, our blitz man. ... We’ve got about six guys we can rotate at offensive and defensive line. Hopefully it won’t be the same 11 guys all night long.” Barnett credits his staff for his team’s growth during the offseason.

“I’ve got the best staff in the state,” he said. “I know everybody says that, but I had back surgery this spring and missed all of spring football and some of the summer stuff. My guys had it rocking and rolling. You hate to say you can’t tell I wasn’t there, but when you have a good staff, things like that can happen. I like to brag on them. They work hard, and they make my life easier. Without them, we would be in trouble.”

While Princeton is still the favorite in the conference, Barnett is hoping to climb a bit in the standings in 2022.

“We finally have all those freshmen and sophomores as juniors and seniors,” he said. “Their bodies have changed. They’ve been in the weight room. They have a little bit better understanding. We have a better grasp on the offense than we had last year. We have a better grasp on the defense. We’ve worked hard this summer. I think we’ll be more competitive. Princeton is still the crown jewel of the conference, but instead of getting beat by 40 every night, I think we might sneak up on some people this year.”

Check out North Johnston's 2022 schedule here: https://www.maxpreps.com/nc/kenly/north-johnston-panthers/football/schedule/