Johnson: Roundball season hits midway point (01/11/08)
How time flies by. Even though it doesn't seem possible, high school basketball is around the midseason point. With that said, it's now crunch time for all our teams throughout the county as they're currently in the middle of their district schedules. How they play between now and the end of the season will have a lot to do with the success they may have in the postseason...

Johnson: Stewart proves hard work pays off (01/03/08)
The honors keep rolling in for a former Shelbyville Central basketball standout. Former Golden Eagle and current Mississippi State sophomore guard Barry Stewart has been named the SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Week. The announcement was made Monday by the league office...

Johnson: Eaglettes representing with class (12/19/07)
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- After a full day of traveling, Shelbyville Central's Eaglettes are primed and ready for their first round game of the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions this afternoon. The Eaglettes face Auburn (Wash.) Riverside at 2:40 CST in opening round action...

Johnson: Haynesworth worth the price (11/12/07)
Pay him the money! Tennessee Titan defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is in the last season of his contract and is eligible for the free agent market at season's end. In his sixth season with the Titans, the former University of Tennessee Volunteer is in the midst of a Pro Bowl year and anchors one of the best defensive lines in the NFL...

Johnson: Hardy's patience paying off (11/06/07)
I've often told second-year Shelbyville Central coach Jason Hardy that getting the Golden Eagle football program back to the glory days of the past is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. It's fair to say that Hardy and the Eagles have at least completed the first leg of the race...

Johnson: Typical Titans turning heads (10/29/07)
It's something Tennessee Titans fans have grown accustomed to. A low-scoring game dominated by the defense, backed by a sufficient run-oriented offense and a consistent field goal kicker. Like it or not, that's Tennessee Titan football. The biggest difference thus far this year is they're winning...

Johnson: New spirit apparent at MTSU (10/08/07)
Despite posting an overall record of 1-5, good things are happening to the Middle Tennessee football program under second-year head coach Rick Stockstill. I've been covering the Blue Raiders for years and attended games while a student. Saturday night, I witnessed a few things that I've never seen before at Floyd Stadium...

Johnson: So long 'Two-A-Days' (09/25/07)
For the past two years many viewers caught on to a reality television show on MTV called "Two A-Days." "Two-A-Days" was about the successful football program at Hoover High in Alabama. It focused on the personal lives of football players and cheerleaders as much as football...

Johnson: Disappointing 'Dores outgunned (09/10/07)
NASHVILLE -- Vanderbilt entered Saturday's game with Alabama looking for their first home win against the Crimson Tide in more than two decades. Both claimed impressive opening home wins, the Commodores rolling past Richmond 41-17 while Alabama outscored Western Carolina 52-6...

Johnson: Mom, Greeneville proud of Burkey (01/04/07)
When the Eaglettes competed in the Greene County Bank Ladies' Classic last week, it was sort of a homecoming for coach Lynn Burkey. Burkey was born and raised in Greeneville. His mother, Josephine, still resides there. I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Burkey while in Greeneville and, along with others from Shelbyville who made the long trip, noticed the strong resemblance between coach Burkey and his mother...

Johnson: MTSU takes another step forward (12/04/06)
What a difference a year makes. That, along with a new head coach and coaching staff. After a very disappointing 2005 season in which Middle Tennessee finished 4-7, athletic director Chris Massaro decided to make a change at the top of the Blue Raider football program...

Johnson: 'Two-A-Days' worth viewing (10/17/06)
Most of the time, when you speak of two-a-days in football terms -- those hot days in the summer when football teams hold two practices a day in preparation of the upcoming season -- you get a negative response. Over the past couple of months, a great number of you have shared with me how much you enjoyed watching the MTV hit reality show "Two-A-Days."...

Johnson: Tailgate supper boosts Eagles' support (09/05/06)
Two games into the season, it might not be the start new Shelbyville Central football coach Jason Hardy and his staff had hoped for, but there's one thing for certain. They're here for the long haul. If the old saying "Hard work always pays off," is true, good things are ahead for the Golden Eagles...

Johnson: Pros get rich at our expense (08/03/06)
From time to time, I've been accused by my wife and daughters of staying up too late on the Internet. It's true, there are a few Internet sports sites that I frequent on a regular basis. I recently ventured onto one of those sites and noticed an article that listed the 50 top-earning athletes in the United States this past year...

Johnson: Hardy looking for 'a few good men' (04/18/06)
There seems to be a lot of excitement regarding the hiring of new Shelbyville Central head football coach Jason Hardy. Hardy, a former assistant at Shelbyville, is now on board and looks forward to selling his house in Gallatin and moving his family here permanently...

Johnson: Central looking for one good man (03/22/06)
In the midst of a pair of TSSAA state championship runs in basketball, there's been a little more talk concerning Shelbyville Central High athletics. With former Eagle football head coach Whit Taylor recently moving into administration as the assistant principal at Harris Middle, Central principal Don Embry and assistant principal/athletic director Jimmy Williams have been working overtime in search of a new head football coach...

Johnson: Eagles' biggest loss may be support (10/25/05)
It's been brought to my attention that I mentioned that Shelbyville Central sophomore quarterback Julian Haile needed 78 yards to reach 1,000 yards passing on the season in my game preview in Friday's Times-Gazette, but I wrote that he needed 88 in the game story Sunday...

Johnson: Central welcomes five new coaches (08/16/05)
School's back in session and the fall sports schedule for the most part is right around the corner. With that said, perhaps two of the busiest people over the summer were Shelbyville Central principal Don Embry and athletic director Jimmy Williams. During the summer they've hired five new coaches. Embry told me he had to fill 14 total faculty positions...

Johnson: Burkey arrives in Shelbyville (06/03/05)
Coach Lynn Burkey now has a day under his belt at the helm of the Shelbyville Golden Eaglette basketball program. That first day proved very eventful. I had an opportunity to talk with Burkey late Thursday night and we discussed his first day on the job...

Johnson: A tough act to follow (05/19/05)
With the departure of former Shelbyville Golden Eaglette coach Rick Insell, now women's coach at Middle Tennessee State University, the question arises of who will become the new coach of the Eaglettes. Talk about a tough act to follow. Insell has been rewarded for all the hard work, dedication and success that he has achieved. One can only believe that the next Eaglette coach will possess the same qualities...

Johnson: Doors opened for Insell? (04/24/05)
There's an old saying, "All good things must come to an end." One can only believe that this just might be the case for legendary Shelbyville Golden Eaglette coach Rick Insell. With the departure of former Middle Tennessee State Lady Blue Raider coach Stephany Smith, who recently accepted the head coaching job at Alabama, the doors might open for Insell to take a look at his and my alma mater...

Johnson: Ayers combined coaching, caring (03/09/05)
As the 2004-2005 basketball season came to an end for area basketball teams recently, so did the coaching career of one of the nicest persons to ever grace the sidelines. Cascade Middle girls basketball coach Brenda Ayers has decided to retire from coaching after 21 years. She will remain as a teacher...