4 Questions With Blounstown Football Coach Beau Johnson
We spoke with Blounstown football coach Beau Johnson about how his team has been rebuilding since Hurricane Michael devastated the area in 2018.
Q: How long have you been the coach at Blounstown?
A: DC for a couple years, and (this) will be my fourth as head football coach since February 2018.
Q: The community in Blounstown went through a terrible disaster when Hurricane Michael roared ashore a few years back. How did that affect your team on the field and away from football?
A: It was tragic. We were 7-1 at the time. It destroyed our bleachers, and we lost all lights. Over $700,000 in damages. We finished the year all on the road and for four weeks had no power in the field house. We finished 2-2 rest of the way, losing in the second round. But surviving that adversity, I believe, made us super close as a team and set the tone for our 13-1 state runner-up season in 2019.
Q: I guess hurricanes and weather in general is always a concern living that close to the gulf?
A: Every year we face a warning or storm, but never dreamed a Cat 5 would get that far inland. We lost 85% of the timber in our county and had sustained 150 mph winds at the stadium. Storms we see frequently, yes, but that was a life changer.
Q: How has your team rebuilt and responded since Hurricane Michael? Are things back to normal?
A: We are getting there. Things have slowly gotten better in our county. Still recovering, but we played for state in 2019 and went to the second round in 2020 with a very young team. We are looking forward to a great year in 2021, but there are still people with tarps on roofs and rebuilding homes.
Written by: Phil Jones
