Antwan Dixon enters second year leading Lehigh football

Antwan Dixon returns to the sideline this week to start his second season as the head coach of the Lehigh Senior High School football team.

Dixon shared what he learned in his first year, “I wasn’t very patient last year. I was trying to make sure everything was perfect. Make sure we win and I kind of lost my thought of why I’m actually doing this. So now we’re actually getting back to the talks and the meetings and having conversations. The tough conversations that people don’t really want to have. So just helping them grow into young men.”

Dixon took over the team just three weeks before the start of the season in 2023. So this offseason, team bonding was crucial.

“It’s been a lot of positive talking even extra hard work and everyone’s in on the season,” wide receiver Sean Battle said. “Everyone wants to win, compete, do the best for their teammates play for their teammates everything like that.”

The Lightning will look different this season as eight players transferred to other schools. Dixon explained why he feels those players left the program and it stems from the first head coaching change last offseason.

“I wasn’t going to work for somebody that wasn’t used to working with the kids,” Dixon said. “And I felt like I abandoned them cause now they’re dealing with somebody that doesn’t know them. Or know how to treat them. So I take it upon myself for leaving and going over to Dunbar in the spring that first time around. So I can see why they left. Because they felt like I was a little disloyal to them.”

For the players who stayed, they’re all in.

“I know the culture he set for us that there’s going to be people to replace them or even do better,” Battle said. “Everyone’s bought in and working extra hard.”