Johnson named head coach at South Bend Washington

May 07, 2012|by Pete Byrne (pmbyrne@wsbt.com)

Four years of success on the gridiron was enough to convince South Bend Washington high school officials to keep it in the family when replacing former head coach Antwon Jones.

Jay Johnson was named the school's head football coach on Monday night. Johnson has spent the last four years on the Panthers coaching staff, coaching wide receivers, and most recently serving as the head coach of the JV.

"Continuity is a huge this for us and for our system, so we want to keep everything rolling," Johnson says.

"There will be some things that change, there will be some things that are the same. We have the coaches in place who know the kids. The kids know the coaches. We're just going to continue to get better and try to build on the success that we already had."

"We are very excited to have Jay on board as our next Head football coach," athletic director Chris Matthys said. "He understands our current athletes and their talents better than anyone. As an assistant football and wrestling coach, Jay has proven himself as a tremendous fit for the student-athletes at Washington High School."

Johnson found his way to the South Bend area when he was recruited by then-Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz out of his hometown of Starkville, Mississippi. He played receiver for the Irish from 1996-2000, and caught three touchdowns passes, including a game winner against Navy with 16 seconds to go in the game.

Johnson's position coach at Notre Dame was (current Ohio State head coach) Urban Meyer. He credits Meyer for impacting his coaching style.

"(Meyer) was definitely a stickler for the small things and focusing on the details. The one thing I notice I've already implemented is: He would always stress the importance of being a complete receiver. Blocking and route running, in addition to catching the ball. We take as much pride in a great block as we do in scoring a touchdown."

Johnson will continue to coach the receivers at Washington, as well as assume the play-calling duties on offense, which he shared with Jones in 2011.

"I'm just excited to be in a position to help mold young men," Johnson said. "and help them become productive members of this community and teach them how to play the game with passion."

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