Sto-Rox hires LaRoi Johnson as football coach

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 23, 2018 | 12:54 AM

As an Imani Christian assistant, LaRoi Johnson admired Sto-Rox's potential from across the football field.

But what Johnson didn't know in November was that he'd be Sto-Rox's head coach three months later. Johnson, an architect of Imani's air attack, was hired Thursday to coach the Vikings.

“I remember looking across and saying: ‘This is a team that has a lot more talent than what the score is showing,” said Johnson, thinking back to when Imani defeated Sto-Rox, 52-0, in the WPIAL Class A playoffs last fall. “It just has to be the right person (in charge). I feel I can get the kids to buy into the system and put them in the right position to make plays. I'll let them use their God-given abilities.”

Johnson replaces Jason Ruscitto, who went 10-29 in four seasons.

This is the first head coaching job for Johnson, a 2003 Peabody graduate. He served two seasons as Imani's offensive coordinator, and coached USO in the City League for the previous five seasons. He also coached one year each at Baldwin and Peabody.

As Imani's offensive coordinator, Johnson orchestrated a passing scheme that saw the Saints average 40 points last season. They finished as WPIAL runners-up and quarterback Tawan Wesley passed for more than 2,000 yards.

Johnson will bring that offense to Sto-Rox, a school that already has passers ranked among the all-time WPIAL leaders.

“We're going to come at you with four or five wides,” he said, “and we're going to have some fun with the same kind of air-it-out attack.”

Sto-Rox has struggled recently and finished 3-8 last season, but Johnson takes over a program that reached the WPIAL finals three years in a row from 2011-13.

“To me it's a smaller Aliquippa,” Johnson said. “That's how I see it. It has all the same type of athletes, the same type of ability.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Sto-Rox