North Side High School has hired Ben Johnson Jr. as it’s new head football coach. He takes over for Michael Brevard, who accepted a job as Saint Francis’ linebackers’ coach.
“We were told in December that Coach Brevard had [accepted] the position at Saint Francis,” Johnson said. “He definitely told me that he believed in me, that I should apply. And he felt like I had a good chance of getting the job, so I did that. And then we had interviews in January, and I just found out [Tuesday].”
One reason he looks forward to being the Legends’ head coach is because of the school’s history.
“If you walk the halls, this school was winning championships in 1930,” Johnson said. “So it’s almost over 100 years of tradition here. And I’m just excited to keep it going and bring new traditions to North Side.”
This past year, Johnson was North Side’s offensive coordinator. It was his first season on the Legends’ staff. He relishes the experience of coaching at North Side.
“I loved everything about North Side; Coach Brevard and the culture that he brought here,” Johnson said. “We were like a family here. He was a high character guy, and he was always willing to serve the coaches and the kids. So it was a joy. I really thought I was probably going to coach under him for the next 15-20 years.”
Since coming to North Side, Johnson has been able to coach athletes such as quarterback Duce Taylor, running back Ja’suan Lambert, receivers Jordan Turner and Adrian Sewell, as well as others. He gives his athletes a great deal of credit for the Legends’ success.
“I appreciate them just buying into the system and just going out there and performing,” Johnson said. “If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t even be in this position. So, I’m grateful for them, and I’m also excited about the kids that we still have here; freshman through our junior class.”
Even before Johnson came to North Side, he got a taste of what SAC football is like. He played high school football at Wayne. As far as his coaching experience is concerned, he has worked as a Running Backs’ Coach at Bishop Luers and an Offensive Coordinator at Wayne.
“This is probably one of the best conferences in the state,” Johnson said. “I would say it’s top two in the state of Indiana. Every school in this conference has a great head coach, a great coaching staff, great kids. It’s very, very highly competitive. Week to week you’ve got to give it your all; Monday through Thursday; in order to be successful on Friday nights.”
Johnson is not necessarily committed to using a specific offensive or defensive scheme. He plans to base his schemes on the players he has at his disposal.
“Offensively, we had a great pocket passer at quarterback this past season,” Johnson said. “I’m not in love with a certain scheme. I’m a person that [evaluates] the players that we have, and then the players will determine what the scheme will be. I’m open to different things, different ideas that the coaching staff will bring. You’re going to see a lot of similarities. But we’re definitely going to add a few different things.”
