THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030207
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 39 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
If you believe Jerry Carter, he taught Western Branch football coach Lew Johnston everything he knows.
At least about running the Delaware Wing-T offense.
Johnston and Carter, the head football coach at Deep Creek, share a friendship that spans two decades, since they were both Bruins assistant coaches back in the mid-1970s. Even a matchup like the one the men will face on Thursday - battling each other's teams to determine the Southeastern District champion - isn't enough to strain those bonds.
``We're both competitive enough that we set friendship aside in that situation,'' said Johnston. ``Once the game starts I won't think of myself as coaching against Jerry. It's Deep Creek.''
During the '70s, Carter served as Western Branch's defensive coordinator, while Johnston aided head coach Dick Arculin with the offense. Even though they were dealing with two seemingly separate areas of the game, a shared love of football cemented their friendship.
``Jerry was very astute, a real student of the game. Very intense,'' Johnston said. ``We were cut from the same cloth. We were both very into it - talked almost every night on the phone, going over notes.''
``We got along well and were very good friends,'' said Carter. ``We hung out together a lot.''
Although Carter left the Bruins in 1976 after Western Branch won a second straight district title, the two remained in touch. Johnston eventually took over for Arculin as the Bruins' lead man, and Carter settled in Richmond as the head coach at Varina High School.
It was an innovative new offensive scheme that brought the two back together.
``Jerry got to Varina, and he struggled a bit,'' said Johnston. ``But then I saw he was 10-0 and in the playoffs, so I called him and asked what was up. He said he was running this thing called the Delaware Wing-T.''
Carter offers a slightly different view.
``Lew came to Richmond and wanted to go over the Wing-T because he was thinking of changing things at Western Branch.'' he said. ``We spent a few days on it and I told him everything I knew, because I figured I'd never go back down there.
``And then a few years later. . . ''
With Carter back in South Hampton Roads, Johnston not only regained a friend, but a worthy adversary on the football field. The two are similar in more than a few ways.
While both men are intense about their work, they are also quite affable. Although they are well respected by the coaching community, neither has developed the kind of lasting friendship that they enjoy with each other. A friendship born from their days as assistants and nourished by the Wing-T.
``We're much closer than most coaches in the area. Football is something I enjoy, but it's not a social thing for me,'' said Johnston. ``We talk a lot during the season, trading notes and checking how each other's team is doing.''
``Lew and myself, we were very close,'' said Carter. ``We still are.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Jerry Carter
Lew Johnston
by CNB