As Jonquel Dawson hobbled off the field Friday night, there to help his star quarterback, and his sprained right ankle, was his head coach Mike Carson. This wasn’t the first time the pair helped each other out.

One of Carson’s first decisions as the new head coach at Avondale High School was to anoint a freshman as his starting quarterback. “I could see Jonquel’s potential,” Carson said. “First, he had to get better in the classroom.” Dawson said of his coach, “Honestly, if it wasn’t for coach, I probably wouldn’t even be playing ball anymore.”

After Dawson’s sophomore year, Carson was offered the job he always wanted, the head coaching position at M.L. King High School. Jonquel knew there were no quarterbacks on his coach’s new roster, so he offered to go with him to MLK. Without hesitation, Carson accepted.

Over the last two years, Dawson has moved into third place for touchdown passes in state history, has become the all-time passing leader in Dekalb County history, and he has an opportunity to go to college through scholarship. In last night’s playoff win, he connected for touchdowns on the last play of regulation and in overtime. When Carson was asked about Dawson’s maturation he said, “I never had a doubt.”