by Taylor Williams
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| John McDonogh Head Coach Lionel Roberts |
March 31, 2010 - It’s no secret that New Orleans always has been, and probably always will be, a visibly divided city. Whether it be in political, social, or economic terms, the boundaries that separate the people of New Orleans are noticeable everywhere. In a city known for corruption and economic instability and fueled by illicit debauchery, the inevitable result is an incredibly unequal distribution of wealth, prestige and prominence. This distribution gap is especially visible in the education system, and no major New Orleans school feels the adverse effects of it more than the John McDonogh Trojans. “John Mac,” as it’s more commonly known, is a 3A high school in the Mid-City, home of New Orleans’ most authentic and genuine residents. The school is also part of the Recovery Schools District, a state-run educational institution created to govern more “academically challenged” schools. At the height of its existence, the RDS controlled more than 100 of the 128 major schools in Orleans Parish, resulting in minimal budgets and financial support for individual schools’ extracurricular activities. Essentially, this means that the state of Louisiana, which values football as its top athletic priority, is preventing many programs like John Mac from reaching their full potential with its own educational policies. And the Trojans have been victimized by this bitter irony for years. Despite the school’s recently improved academic performance, they remain disadvantaged at drawing in the best athletes and students from local middle schools. Unfortunately this sub-par standard of education and its repercussions are experienced constantly by the Trojan football program, which once reigned supreme in 3A competition.
Every football team needs good, productive practice to win games, but the school’s inadequate facilities on campus force many practices to be held in the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans’ most notorious and disreputable neighborhood. Inferior practice facilities, untimely transportation to practice sites, and district regulations which entice top local players to bigger programs like Warren Easton and St. Augustine- these are just some of the daily problems facing the Trojans and head coach Lionel Roberts. Despite these inherent shortcomings, the Trojans posted a 6-4 record in 2009 and made the playoffs for the first time in almost 15 years, generating a huge wave of excitement around the school. To see how big a deal this is, simply consider the negative circumstances hindering the school’s success, both academically and athletically. An average day at John Mac is hard enough without factoring in the grind of athletics. Beginning at 7:25 and ending at 3:45, the lengthy schedule forces some students to get up as early as 6am just to catch the bus. Throw in a delayed trip to the Lower Ninth Ward at the end of the day for evening practice, and you have a remarkably exhausting day. Those are just some the obstacles the Trojans overcame this season, the success of which is unfortunately mitigated by the impending loss of 26 seniors. Coach Roberts has some major talent on the rise though, particularly in freshman running back Melvin Russell, a “Reggie Bush” type tailback with explosive speed and quickness. Freshmen defensive end Zack Johnson and safety Corey Juluke (whose uncle coaches at rival Edna Karr), should also become key players with defensive fire and aggression over the next couple years. The few returning starters are anchored by defensive end/fullback Myron Daughtry, a D1 prospect, team leader and outstanding student in the classroom. And while it clearly appears to be a rebuilding year in terms of player personnel, rebuilding the financial and administrative support for the program is of equal importance. Doing so could help a potentially great program remove their stigma as victims of the New Orleans’ school system and exemplify a rare challenge to the tradition of unequal opportunity in The Big Easy.
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