By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Rodney Johnson capped off his prep football career with a flourish last Saturday (Dec. 11) in Hattiesburg, Mississi-ppi.
The Gadsden City High School senior intercepted a pass in Alabama’s 20-0 victory in the 35th Alabama/Mississippi All Star Football Game at University of Southern Mississi-ppi.
“I felt that I did really well,” said Johnson. “Going into the game, I was coached up by some good coaches. Coach [Tyesha] Smith showed me a lot of good technique that helped and made the game go slower. [Head coach Adrian] Abrams said we had to become a family, and everything took care of itself. Plus, I played with some of the [Alabama] players in 7-on-7 camps during the summer, so the chemistry was there. It definitely was a good experi-ence.”
Due to the Titans’ rugged Class 7A Region 3 schedule, Johnson felt that he held his own against the top players from the Magnolia State.
“That really didn’t come into play, because I got to play against a good Thompson team, a good Hoover team and a good Hewitt-Trussville team, so I knew that I could hang with them.”
Johnson is considering several scholarship offers, inclu-ding Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tulane, Memphis and Georgia State.
This past season, Johnson finished with 46 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and seven pass breakups while helping the Titans go 5-5 and post the program’s first non-losing season in five years.
“I thought that Rodney did a heck of a job in the game,” said GCHS head football coach Ali Smith. “Any time one of our kids can represent our team and our school and our community is an awesome thing. It was a great opportunity for Rodney. He grew as a player both on and off the field this year, and he helped with a lot of our younger kids who had to step up. He became a better teammate and a better leader in a lot of areas.”
