Diagramming plays -- and building character

Keith Johnson instructs players after football practice at Gompers Middle School in South Los Angeles. “I wanted to bring something good to the ’hood,� Johnson said. “It irritates me when people think our neighborhood has nothing to offer. When a kid leaves us, he’d better know more than how to throw a football.�

Camden Watkins, 1, sits in the equipment truck before football practice at Gompers Middle School in South Los Angeles. Keith Johnson is a no-nonsense type with a soft spot for the kids he calls his “babies� long after they’re grown — and zero tolerance for adults who don’t take their jobs as role models seriously enough.

A Falcons player warms up during practice at Gompers Middle School in South Los Angeles. After a recent win, Keith Johnson’s biggest concern was the decorum of his fans. “The parents can be a bigger problem than the kids,� he said.

Parents watch their children during football practice at Gompers Middle School. Keith Johnson understands the social forces that converge on his field: Single mothers are flummoxed by sons they can’t control or don’t understand. Unemployed fathers feel angry and ashamed when they can’t support their families. Weary grandparents struggle through retirement, rearing wayward children’s kids.

Jaz Keyes, 9, takes a break during football practice at Gompers Middle School. “I know a lot of men didn’t have fathers in their lives, but that is not an excuse,� Johnson said. “I say to them: ‘Give your kids everything you wish your father would have done for you. Make sure they have that.’�

Falcons players pray after football practice at Gompers Middle School. Johnson encourages the single moms to reach out: “Don’t isolate yourself. Talk to the parents of kids a few years older than yours, so you can plan to handle the issues that come up.�

“It’s not just about making football stars,� said Amber Pumphrey as she watched her 7-year-old son Antonio practice. “It’s about building character, being men. The things that they need to be something someday.�

Amiyoko Shabazz walks her son Lavail McKinney home after football practice at Gompers Middle School. Johnson and his wife, Karen — his high school sweetheart — have two grown sons. The boys taught him that, platitudes aside, parenting isn’t always easy and is never really done.