Marysville High School head football coach Brent Johnson, center, instructs linemen during a drill on Thursday. Johnson is beginning his first season as the Monarchs’ gridiron boss.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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A new era officially began for the Marysville High School football program earlier this week with the start of preseason two-a-day practices.
“Things are going pretty well,” said Brent Johnson, who is starting his first season at the Monarch helm.
Johnson was hired to the position last January following Morgan Cotter’s resignation after five seasons as the head coach.
The Monarchs held 10 days worth of camp earlier this summer as part of their off-season coaching days that are permitted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
They had a week off for the Union County Fair prior to the start of Monday’s first day of practice.
The squad is working with a learning curve during the preseason, what with a new head coach and several new members of the coaching staff.
Johnson, who previously served as the team’s defensive coordinator, said the Monarchs are working with new packages and formations on both sides of the ball.
“On defense, we’re doing things similar to last year,” he said. “The biggest change is in nomenclature. We’ve had some name changes for some of the same things we did last year.”
On offense, the Monarchs are busy installing what Johnson terms as a “hybrid Wing-T.”
“The guys are working hard to adjust,” he said. “We still have a long way to go, but so far the guys are like sponges in picking up on the changes.”
Johnson’s coaching background has included two different stints with Marysville. He was previously on the coaching staff before taking the head coaching position at Marion Elgin High School.
He later returned to the Monarchs as defensive coordinator before assuming the head coaching role last winter.
Johnson said the transition back to being a head coach hasn’t been that tough.
“It has been a lot of fun and it hasn’t been all that difficult,” he said. “The coaching staff has been working very hard and that has made it easier.
“Our assistant coaches were in the weight room nearly every day and we’ve also had a lot of meetings,” said Johnson. “Our biggest concern going into the preseason was getting everybody on the same page. In that regard, the coaching staff has been great.”
The game of football has become one of speed over the past few years and that philosophy is only becoming more pronounced with each ensuing season.
To that end, Monarch practices are always up-tempo.
“We want to treat each practice as though it’s a game,” said Johnson. “We are using game-type speed in all of our practices. We want the guys to think fast and play fast.
“The guys are picking up on that as we go forward,” he said. “I’m seeing a lot of ‘light bulbs’ popping on.”