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By: Taylor Kauffman
Central is in the process of turning around its football team, and that starts with numbers.
“I’ve been around the program now, going into year six. I’ve seen a lot of kids come and go, a lot of talk about being here and not showing up,” said Central head coach Shem Johnson.
Senior Logan Norman was one of those kids as a freshman.
“He got through about the first two weeks of the season, and hit that critical point where many kids do, ‘do I want to be out here, do I not?’ And at that point he didn’t feel he was ready to be there,” Johnson said. “The following year came around, he was just supporting. So, he hadn’t joined the team, just more as a fan from the outside.”
Junior year, a friend convinced him to join the team for real.
“I joined the team to get in shape but then I fell in love with the game. Because, just how many people that I knew were playing, and just, just overall how the game makes me feel,” Norman said.
While the Bulldogs had been working on adding numbers, Logan has been subtracting.
“I truly didn’t look to lose that much weight I just looked to improve myself, and it just came along with it,” said Norman.
Logan lost 110 pounds in a year.
“I only can shake my head and smile, because no one does that. The average person doesn’t do that. You have to have a certain mindset and a mental toughness about you, and that’s turned out to be Logan,” Johnson said.
In three years he’s gone through a complete transformation, physically and mentally.
“He may not say a lot. He’s not the biggest vocal guy going around, but his actions are what’s speaking volumes, and when the guys see that they follow suit,” said Johnson.
His hard work and dedication is spreading.
“Guys are like, Logan’s an inspiration to me because he’s doing. You can talk it all you want, but he’s certainly walking it and that’s the difference,” Johnson said.
While Logan is lost over 100 pounds, what he’s gained can’t be measured.
“What’s this program meant to you?” asked Ozone reporter Taylor Kauffman.
“It’s truly meant a lot. Even though I haven’t been here long, but it’s, it’s a family, real big family,” Norman said.
The culture is changing at Central, and a big part of that is thanks to a kid who didn’t give up.
