It’s no surprise that one of A.L. Johnson’s best athletes is fired up for A.L. Johnson’s biggest game of the year. Senior quarterback and three-year starter Michael McGhee says that the tilt between Johnson and the Linden Patriots has the whole team psyched up about Friday night.

“We’re very excited,” he says. “This gives us a big test as a team. It’s like a playoff-caliber game.”

To win the game and give McGhee a trip to the playoffs in his final year as an Eagle, Johnson will have perform on both sides of the ball, he says.

“We have to play good defense and we have to get our offense going,” he says. “We need to block a little better and make some plays.”

Making plays has been McGhee’s strong point ever since he first began taking snaps for the Eagles as a sophomore. The Demopolis Times named him Player of the Year for leading the Eagls back to the playoffs that season and McGhee has never stopped producing, scoring two touchdowns in last week’s 30-0 win over Sunshine.

It’s little wonder, then, that McGhee prefers his offensvie duties at QB over his defensive duties at safety.

“Coach wants me to cover a lot of ground,” he says, “but I like offense. I like having the ball in my hands on every play.”

McGhee’s play has been key to Johnson’s resurgence after a string of mid-season losses, but he credits the whole team’s unity for making the biggest impact.

“We’re staying focused,” he says. “We’re working together, everybody at practice, being more disciplined.”

Part of that unity, however, is likely due to McGhee’s senior leadership. The QB admits that he can get pretty vocal at times in his efforts to lead the team.

“I like to keep them motivated,” he says with a laugh.