JOURNAL SPORTS
It’s a fact, but it’s irrelevant.
Southwood has the state’s longest high school football losing skid, 46 straight. The Cowboys have only three official wins in the past decade (two to start the 2022 season had to be forfeited).
None of which has any bearing on how their 2025 season will fare, say new coach De’Aumante Johnson and two senior leaders.
“It really doesn’t weigh heavy on me,” said Kaden Davis, a talented cornerback. “I know we’re going to do good. Those bad times in the past, they are in the past. We’re ready to play everybody on our schedule.”
Winfred Tobias “T.J.” Avant Jr., a rock-solid force up front, concurs. It’s a whole different perspective for the Cowboys with the enthusiastic and energetic Johnson in charge.
“I’ve been able to bring in some great coaches, and these players are buying in. In the past, they’ve had a lot of discipline problems, I understood. This year, they’ve bought into the disciplined program we’re running, and this is definitely going to be the year,” said Johnson, seasoned by two years as an extremely young head coach at Bossier High, followed by stints on staff at Captain Shreve and with his college alma mater, Grambling, coaching the position he played for the Tigers – defensive back.
He’s just a shade over 30, but has the wisdom of a much older person.
“In my first year at Bossier, I was a very young head football coach, 25-26 years old, one of the youngest in the state. I learned a lot there, good and the bad, things I won’t do again, and things I know will work,” he said. “Then I went to Captain Shreve and Grambling, learning from the coaches I worked under, and that makes me a better head coach today, understanding better how to do certain things and how to go about other things.”
And he knows what he sees from the Cowboys since he took over this spring.
“They’re doing a heck of a job with what we’re doing in the system, scheme-wise. The coaches are phenomenal and I couldn’t be more proud or happier to be working with those guys. It’s all lining up.
Johnson has a 10,000-foot view as head coach, but he does focus on the defense, partly because of his background and partly because former Centenary offensive coordinator Keondre Wudtee is running things on the other side of the ball.
Southwood’s strengths?
“We have a truly great corps of receivers. And coach Wudtee, he’s a heck of an offensive coordinator, we all know that, and he’s dialing up a lot of explosive stuff right now.
“We have a really good defensive line, and most importantly, we have numbers up front. We can make a lot of adjustments, we can substitute and we can keep fresh guys in there. The defense has done really well this offseason,” said Johnson.
Another major asset is senior leaders like Davis and Avant.
“They’ve been nothing less than phenomenal. They work extremely hard, they don’t miss, and they lift up their teammates. They’ve bought in and I’m telling you, this is going to be the year these young men are going to shock and surprise a lot of people,” said Johnson.
“Kaden is a very good cornerback, great with his feet, and very smart. He has a high football IQ. T.J. brings a type of physicality that I love, playing on the inside and outside on the defensive line.”
Davis said he’s blossoming under Johnson’s guidance.
“I never had a coach who played my position before, so I can connect with him on ways to play the game and he’s going to help me like nobody else. I’m blessed to have him as my head coach.”
The feeling is mutual, which sets the stage for a strong sense of optimism in the Cowboys’ camp.
Southwood opens the season in Week 2 on Sept. 11 against Class A Arcadia, the visits 2A North Caddo. District 1-4A play starts Sept. 25 against Loyola.