It was a night De’Aumante Johnson will never forget but he’s hoping his Southwood Cowboys can put it behind them and look forward, not backward.
On September 11 last year – in his first game as their head coach – the Cowboys did something they hadn’t “officially” done since 2019: Win a football game.
There was a big celebration, a Gatorade bucket, a few tears of joy and all the other memorable moments you might expect.
As if to prove it wasn’t a fluke, the Cowboys turned around the next week and did it again. So much for a victory hangover.
A few weeks later, Southwood did it again.
No, it wasn’t a total rags-to-riches story as the Cowboys finished 3-6 overall. The last four games were particularly ugly as they lost each one of them by at least 40 points.
Johnson’s goal has been to keep future wins from being such a joyous celebration.
“Winning has to be a habit,” he says. “I’m not saying don’t celebrate it or enjoy it. At the end of the day, it’s still a win and that’s what we play for. But we have to have a 24-hour mindset, and we have to get ready for our next opponent.”
Johnson is hoping that last year becomes an important first step in what the former Bossier coach and Grambling State assistant is trying to accomplish. But if those steps are going to be taken, it will have to come from eliminating one key issue that plagued the Cowboys in 2025.
Turnovers.
“That’s going to be really big,” Johnson says. “We have to keep the chains moving. We have to keep momentum. We cannot turn the ball over, and that’s something that we talked about this whole entire off-season and spring.
“It’s something that Toriano Williams, who’s the new offensive coordinator, talks about to these guys. We have to protect the ball on offense. And these guys have been doing a tremendous job this off-season and rolling into fall camp of not turning the ball over.”
But much of that could depend on players who will never touch the ball.
Part of the optimism for the Cowboys comes from the experience that returns from last year. “The offensive line is going to be the biggest difference,” Johnson says. “They’re very selfless. They’ve been playing with each other since last year. A lot of snaps under their belts. So that unit right there, they’re going to carry this team for sure.”
In scheduling his non-district games, Johnson relied on some of his previous coaching relationships to get his team prepared for the District 1-4A season. The Cowboys will play Green Oaks, Haughton and Wossman before jumping into district play.
“It wasn’t it really wasn’t too difficult for me,” he says. “Just having a great relationship with coaches helped out. Matthew Sewell at Haughton and I are best of friends. I’m great with the coach at Wossman. The Green Oaks coach (Nick Peoples) and I played together at Grambling. So scheduling is very easy for me because I have such a great relationship with these guys.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com