Football fans likely haven’t seen the best of Johnson Central.
That’s not good news for current and future opponents of the Golden Eagles.
Veteran head coach Jim Matney is looking to guide his team to a fourth straight Class 4A state championship game appearance when the season kick off next month.
“We have a good football team coming back and we’re excited about getting the year started,” he said. “Our freshman class is one of the biggest we’ve had here in years.”
The Golden Eagles welcome the return of senior running back Joe Jackson. He played just one game last year, going down with a season-ending injury in the opener against Capital, W.Va. He had seven rushes for 66 yards.
“He’s back and hopefully can have a solid year for us,” Matney said. “I was surprised we made it to the finals last year with some of the adjustments we had to make. We did a nice job of hiding our weaknesses.”
Junior quarterback Ryley Preece returns after passing for 1,284 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2017. He also rushed for 660 yards and 15 scores.
Add to the mix running back Devin Johnson and the Eagles are a threat to score on any play.
“Our skill players are really good,” Matney said. “Our experience should help us tremendously.”
Alex and Matt Horn are among the defensive standouts returning along with junior Cody Rice.
Johnson Central will host Capital on Aug. 24 in the opener at Eagle Stadium. Other home games include Henry Clay (Aug. 31); South Charleston, W.Va. (Sept. 7); Moore (Sept. 14); Greenup County (Oct. 5); Ashland-Blazer (Oct. 19); and Belfry (Oct. 26).
The only three road games include visits to Boyd County (Sept. 21); East Carter (Sept. 28); and Rowan County (Oct. 12).
“Our schedule will be challenging,” Matney said. “A number of good football teams are on it and should make us better as the season moves along.”