As Tuesday night lights return to Homewood High School, the excitement for the girl’s flag football team is evident. With a new coach and talented roster, the team is set to make waves in their fourth season.
Dr. Latta Johnston, assistant principal at HHS, has taken over the head coaching position from new varsity basketball coach Elijah Garrison. For 14 of his now 28 years at Homewood, Johnston coached both football and wrestling but had to give it up when he got promoted to administration. However, when the flag football position became available, Johnston knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“I’ve been to a good number of flag football games in the past few years and it’s a fun sport to watch, everyone is excited to be there,” Johnston said. “I kept my name out there in case there was ever a coaching opening, and the situation happened to occur.”
Regarding his goals for the season, Johnston sees a growth potential. The HHS flag football team was the only 6A squad to make it to the quarterfinals last year, and he’s confident that with another year of experience under their belts, they can do it again.
“Flag football has only been a sanctioned sport for a handful of years,” Johnston said. “That means the competition has gotten better and better every year and that the competition will just be deeper across the board as more schools form teams. That also means we have players with more experience who know what it takes to be successful again.”
Though Johnston has only had experience coaching boys in the past, he says that the transition to a girl’s sport has been relatively easy.
“So much of it is really the same,” Johnston said. “It’s about teaching and how you teach. It’s about being with people, loving the players and loving the process. Sometimes we spend a little bit longer talking and laughing, which is good, just different from boys’ practices.”
Senior Liesel Kellen, a three-year veteran and standout quarterback, is prepared to put in the work for another solid season. Though the team lost 12 seniors last year, Kellen says their new players have really picked up the slack.
With so many new players on the team, Kellen has worked hard to bring the group together in light of losing multiple starters and having a new coach.
“I want to bring the team together and make it a fun experience just like the upperclassmen did for me in the past,” Kellen said. “We need to be able to have fun and work hard and I feel like all of that together makes us grow stronger as a team.”
The team’s season opener is a highly anticipated rematch away against the Vestavia Rebels on September 3 at 5:30 PM. Don’t miss the chance to cheer on the Homewood flag football squad as they aim to start the season strong.
