Published September 4, 2025
BY TULLAH McCOLL
Beloved retired Carmel High School football coach and physical education teacher Craig Johnston was recently welcomed back onto the field by his son, varsity flag football head coach Phil Johnston, who was in need of a JV coach.
“I needed an extra set of eyes, ears and a voice, but at the end of the day, I really wanted someone who could offer a lot,” explains Phil, who stepped into his dad’s role as a CHS physical education teacher in 2020. “To have someone come in with so much experience made that decision a lot easier.”
Set in the “Proud to be a Padre” mentality, the senior Johnston was flattered by the offer.
“I thought it would be fun to work together, and it is,” says Craig. “Even if he wasn’t my son, he’s someone I’d want to be involved with. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s already established a really strong foundation within the program.”
Coach Craig Johnston alongside his son Phil during his senior year football season in 2006. courtesy of PHIL JOHNSTON
This year, the team has moved up to the Gabilan Division, the highest division of the Pacific Coast Athletic League. With 16 games scheduled, the coaches share high expectations for both junior varsity and varsity players.
“I’m helping him continue to do what he’s been doing, and if I have an idea, I’m happy he’s willing to listen,” says the retired PE teacher. “I’m trying to prepare my players on JV to be ready to play for him.”
Phil’s father is more than a little experienced in the world of football. The senior Johnston was inducted to the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Hall of Fame for his leading role as the quarterback for the 1980 NCAA Division II National Championship Mustangs. Twenty-six years later, Phil attended his father’s alma mater to pursue football in his footsteps.
“I can breathe a little during practice knowing that the JV girls are in very capable hands,” says Phil Johnston, a 2006 CHS alum, who learned his father’s coaching skills as one of his players on the Carmel field.
Keeping an open mindset, trusting one another and accepting criticism are aspects both Craig and Phil find important in coaching relationships–theirs included. While the rules are different in tackle and flag football, the two share an understanding that many fundamental principles apply to both sports.
“My philosophy in coaching both tackle and flag is pretty similar,” explains Phil. “I love to compete. You can be bigger, faster and stronger than we are, but we are never going to be outworked or outsmarted.”
Coach Craig Johnston and Coach Phil Johnston (from left) discuss practice drills with an open mindset as they combine their coaching techniques for the benefit of the varsity and JV flag football players. photo by TULLAH MCCOLL
From 50-plus years of coaching tackle football, Craig expresses his knowledge in the significance of instilling a disciplined attitude in players, and believes Phil has done just that.
“We’re going to try as hard as we can–playing like a Padre. We may not win them all, but we are certainly going to try hard,” says Craig. “I look forward to seeing where this hard work will take us.”
In addition to the privilege of working together, Craig and Phil Johnston appreciate the opportunity of getting to see each other in person on a more regular basis. During past tackle football seasons, which Phil helped to coach the last four years, the two would frequently talk over the phone about tactics, plays and recent football events.
Their love for the sport has brought the two Johnstons closer together throughout the years. This story began when Phil was young, bonding over the love of their sport, and now their experiences have come full circle, coaching together on the same campus that started it all.
“I can’t say I sat there [when Phil was in high school] and knew he’d be a coach one day, but I knew he had a love for football, a real good attitude and knowledge of the game,” shares Craig. “I know he’s just as proud to be a Padre as I am.”
