West Lincoln selects Johnny Ball to lead football program
Published on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 10:30am
The Lincoln County Board of Education on Tuesday approved the hiring of Johnny Ball as head coach and selected the next person to lead the West Lincoln football team.
Ball is a Pike County native and most recently joined the staff at 5A North Pike High School.
West Lincoln will be Ball's first head coaching position, a position he has wanted since he began his coaching career.
“Hindsight is a good thing, and looking back, I'm glad things have worked out the way I have in my career to get to this point,” Ball said. “I have deep faith and feel like God has led me to a point where I am ready to take on a position like this. I have learned a lot about what is needed and I am excited to implement those ideas and lead the young people at West Lincoln University.”
This is Ball's second time coaching in Lincoln County, having been hired as an assistant coach at Brookhaven Academy in 2011 under then-head coach Tripp McCarty.
The Cougars went 10-3 in 2011 and 11-4 in 2012, winning the MAIS state championship. When McCarty left for Pillow Academy after the 2013 season, BA hired Blake Purvis, who was fresh out of college and went 3-17 in two seasons.
Ball also thought he might get a chance to lead his own program there after serving as an assistant at Amite County in 2022, but the Trojans also have someone else in the position. chose to hire.
Missing out on the chance to interview for a head coaching job has made Ball even hungrier to lead his own program.
“I have a wonderful wife and two girls at home who support me, so I will lead from the front, but my true passion is service,” Ball said. “For me, being a football coach and teacher is a way to serve others. .What I want young men to learn is that how you deal with adversity guides your life.”
At West Lincoln, former coach Brad Brand will take over a team that had a combined record of 12-39 over the past five seasons. In 2023, the Bears went 2-9.
Brand previously served as an assistant under former WL coach B.J. Smith-Hart, taking over when Smith-Hart took the head job at Franklin County. The 2017 West Lincoln team, with Smith-Hart as head coach and Brand as one of his assistants, finished 5-6, placed second in Region 7-2A, and hosted the program's first playoff game since its inception in 1998. The school made history by doing so.
Ball becomes the 11th different person in West Lincoln history to lead the football program.
In addition to North Pike, Amit County and Brookhaven Academy, Ball has also coached at Park Lane Academy and Amit School Center during his career.
“I left coaching for a few years to pursue a different career, but I realized it wasn’t what I really loved,” Ball said. “Aside from my family and the Lord, what I truly love most is helping kids grow through sports. I can't wait to get started at West Lincoln.”
