With no games going on last week, Player of the Week honors go to the practice field, falling on a veteran Demopolis Tiger defensive lineman who posseses a rare combination of size and speed as well as a motor that has been revving at an all-time high of late.

The front four are expected by many to anchor the Demopolis defense all season long. Head coach Tom Causey’s high expectations were validated in part last week when the veteran-heavy group lifted its intensity level during the squad’s first week in pads, setting the tone for the rest of the defense.

As impressive as the group’s effort was, no player was more remarkable than 6-foot, 252-pound senior Carl Johnson. Branded by many with the “more potential than production” tag throughout much of his high school career, Johnson showed out last week while leading the charge up the middle and disrupting the Demopolis offense.

On play after play, Johnson found himself in the backfield, nearly becoming a permanent fixture in the facemasks of Tiger quarterbacks and tailbacks. Johnson’s intensity and all-out effort during Thursday’s practice proved infectious, sparking the Demopolis D to one of its best days of the summer.

Granted, the season is still weeks away. However, if Johnson truly has turned the corner as his efforts indicate, it could spell great things for the Tigers in 2008. Moreover, it could land Johnson the collegiate attention his size and skill set merits. – Jeremy D. Smith