Edison reminds ex-coach Matt Johnson what he left behind, how much work he has ahead

Former Edison High coach Matt Johnson needed no reminder of the type of talent he left behind in the offseason when he accepted the head coaching job at Madera South.

He fully understood the risks involved in leaving a traditionally strong Edison football program for a Madera South team that’s endured 10 losing seasons in 11 years of existence.

Edison players, however, apparently felt their old coach could use a trip down memory lane.

Except this time, Johnson got to discover what it’s like to be on the opposite side of an Edison onslaught.

The Tigers, ranked ninth in The Bee’s Central Section Top 10 coaches’ poll, smashed the Stallions 54-0 on Friday in the first meeting between Johnson’s new program and his old school.

Tigers returner Steve Stephens ran back two punts for touchdowns and caught a third score on Senior Night.

Edison (5-4, 3-1 County/Metro Athletic Conference) never has lost to Madera South (1-8, 0-4) since the two started playing each other in 2012.

Johnson, of course, understood the uphill battle he was stepping into when he left for Madera South.

He’s hoping that over time, he’ll be able to turn around the Stallions program.

As Johnson said back in May: “Let’s be honest, I’ll never be much of a coach if the only time I win is when I have 12 college guys. People always look at that (like) ‘Yeah, anyone can win with that team.’ ”

“Can I really dig in and change something? I’m going to find out.”

Madera South has lost six straight, scoring 29 points during that skid.

Edison, which is coached by Jason Murray, has won 5 of 6 with the Tigers outscoring opponents a combined 205-83 in that stretch. They can gain a share of the CMAC title in the regular-season finale next week against No. 10 Bullard (5-4, 4-0), a 32-24 winner over Memorial.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Edison reminds ex-coach Matt Johnson what he left behind, how much work he has ahead."