C.A. Johnson’s Elijah Harper comes up with an interception in last year’s Sportsarama.
The 2024 season was a forgettable one for the C.A. Johnson Green Hornets who had their lowest win total since 2018 at 2-9. The Green Hornets did make the playoffs, losing to Abbeville in the first round.
Changes came during the offseason as head coach Scotty Dean stepped down to be the defensive coordinator at Brookland-Cayce. Rodney Barr, former Lower Richland head coach, was hired in mid-May to take over the program.
Barr’s late hire left C.A. Johnson less time for spring practice than other teams.
“We were able to get around two weeks of practice in,” Barr said. “We weren’t able to get a full spring in, but I feel good about the time we were able to get out there in terms of what our numbers look like and the progress we were able to make going into the summer.”
Without having the full complement of spring practices, the summer months have been even more important.
“I’m real big on whenever we have a 7-on-7 event to pair it with some lineman events so we can do 11-on-11,” Barr said. “The summer for me is a great opportunity to build relationships with the kids and see where we are and figure out what we need to work on.”
Last season was a bit of a hiccup for the Green Hornets as they had won at least six games each of the previous three seasons. Barr sees the characteristics in his players necessary to return to their winning ways.
“One of the biggest things for me is the young men have been receptive, polite, and hard working,” Barr said. “I feel like that’s half the battle. Being able to come into a place where the kids are receptive, respectful, and eager to learn makes things a lot easier. It makes the learning curve a lot shorter in my opinion.”
C.A. Johnson’s offense only managed an average of 14.6 points per game last year. Barr will rely on quarterback Stacey Isaac, who didn’t play last year, to help improve that side of the ball. Barr has been impressed with Isaac’s command of the offense. Isaac is a dual threat quarterback. Barr’s biggest concern with his signal caller is his lack of experience.
Jeremiah Knightner will be the starting running back. He can also play receiver.
Carter Bennet, Jayden Kheitt, and Elijah Harper are all young receivers with a lot of potential. All three will also see time in the secondary.
The offensive line will be big and physical. Jeremiah Johnson and Tymere Evans will anchor the unit.
C.A. Johnson’s defense gave up an average of 32.7 points per game last year. Along with Evans, the Green Hornets will have newcomer Jeremiah Lewis and Rashad Jordan on the defensive line. Both will also play on the offensive line.
Johnathan Jenkins will highlight the linebacking corps.
Barr feels his team can be competitive even with just four home games this year. The non-region slate is challenging with games against Columbia, Fairfield Central, Chesterfield, and Allendale-Fairfax. Two of the Green Hornets’ most challenging Region 2- A games are at home as they host Lee Central and defending region champion Lewisville. They travel to Lamar on October 24.
“What we are building so far is going to put them in position to be competitive,” Barr said. “My biggest expectation is to try and get better and stronger every day. At the end of the day, I want to be in a position as a program where everyone respects us when we come on the field. I want to be a program where we are winning in our back yard. I want to make sure we have a solid presence across the Columbia area. I want to compete for region championships and be a consistent player in the playoffs. I want to be consistent and piggyback on the success C.A. Johnson has had the last five or six years. I want to build C.A. Johnson into a formidable threat across the state of South Carolina.”
Loading Comments