More on Stone ...

Hey Shadow, can someone please write something positive about Lakewood Head Coach MacNeal? I'm reading and hearing so many negative things about him as if Coach MacNeal was with Stone while he was making poor choices. People need to realize that 1 kid that makes a bad decision is in no way a reflection of the teachings and values that are being taught by the Lakewood coaches and administration. Everyone I have spoken to about this incident and about Coach "Mac" have stated how bad he feels for Stone. One friend said he is not taking this very well at all because he feels that he failed to accomplish his goal in helping Stone escape his past...Nothing about Stone as a football player but more about creating a positive environment for a troubled kid...They have stated that he is a devoted Christian, a husband and father of 3 that loves to do god's work and help as many kids and people alike along the way. They talk about how he doesn't swear and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. They talk about how everywhere he's gone, he's been a winner because kids are drawn to his honesty and charisma. Ask anyone close to the Lakewood program and they will tell you the same thing. Coach MacNeal should not be scrutinized for trying to help a young man that ultimately did not want to help himself. Coach MacNeal should be patted on the back and told, "keep trying Coach, we're proud of you"!!!

Thanks for the clarification, but isn't the answer to your rhetorical question obvious? Nobody could get into Jerry Stone's head because he is young and won't realize the full moral/legal/life consequences of his actions until a much later time in his life. Choices that seem obvious to adults are often anything but obvious to teenagers, particularly those who have been dealt a horrendous hand in their lives from day one. To "wonder why things couldn't have turned out differently" means that you are either naive, have never worked with at-risk youth before or were trying to imply that the adults in Stone's life didn't do enough. So which is it?

Pat who on the back? I am not a lakewood fan, but I do know that the person responsible for lakewood turning around its program is now coaching carson...right? Since MacNeal has took control it has been nothing but forfeiting games and off field issues with the lancers.

All that Knowledge said about Coach MacNeal is 100% true. He is a devoted Christian, husband and father who puts his family and his players before himself. He has been known to drive into some of the worst areas of Long Beach in the middle of the night to help players who are in trouble and puts more time, effort and energy into helping his players improve their lives than any head coach of which I am aware. The vast majority of families who have had players go through Lakewood since he has arrived hold him in very high esteem. It is a shame that someone like MacNeal who has made Lakewood into a higher profile program than it had ever been before and has helped and taken in so many at-risk players has to be torn down when one of those high-risk players simply will not accept the tutoring, coaching, counseling and mentoring that is being offered. Above all else, Coach Mac teaches honesty, trust, responsibility, and being a good teammate, student and family member and it is a message that is heard and learned by most of the kids in the program--just because one high profile kid chose to ignore those values isn't an indicator that they aren't being taught. And Carlos, if you think it's been "nothing but forfeiting games and off the field issues", read this: http://lbpostsports.com/newsdesk.php?story=1341

To:IN THE KNOW ON

Very nice article about Coach MacNeal, but when you recruit players to play on your team this is the risk you take. Take a look at comments by fellow lancer supporters they are outraged at why a kid like stone can be at lakewood. Whose fault is that? Stone is a great player and I saw him personally play. But one thing that is forgotten at lakewood is that coach Mac is not the guy who brang lakewood out from the depths of the moore league. Its the guy who is coaching CARSON(the team who almost beat the legend of mater dei on national tv.) Coach Mac is good but not great and issues like this will prevent lancer football from making it past the jackrabbits in the moore league. And without Stone does anybody really think the lancers would have made it as far as they did last year? I admire the positive stuff but lets look at reality here. And that reality is lakewood will slide from pre-season national polls and still be second or maybe third best in the league dont forget the team on the northside of town...they are hungry.

Carlos, Most of what you say is not being disputed: of course Coach C did a great job in getting Lakewood back to being a respectable program and of course Stone's return played a huge role in Lakewood getting to the semi's last season. However, I can assure you that MacNeal has never "recruited" a player and that any player who has decided to transfer to Lakewood has always approached Coach Mac and the program first and then has always been told the same thing: We would love to have you once you have satisfied the school and district requirements to be admitted. There have been numerous VERRRRY high profile players who have wanted to come to Lakewood in the last few years yet didn't because they didn't have the necessary paperwork, address, etc. Thirdly, admitting or declining admission for any given student is the job of the school and the school district, not the head football coach. Coach Mac's job is to win football games and help build responsible young men, and he does both jobs very well. Just because one high-profile kid doesn't understand the opportunities before him isn't cause to make false accusations about someone who is very good for high school athletics and kids.