Posted 11:57 pm Friday, May 29, 2009
Johnson Sparks John Tyler In Spring Game
By HAROLD WILSON
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Jeremy Johnson picked up where he left off last season, rushing for a touchdown and passing for another to lead the John Tyler offense to a 29-27 win in the Blue-White game Thursday in front of an estimated 1,000 at Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium.
Johnson, a senior-to-be, connected with Ricky Collins for a 77-yard scoring pass and later called his own number for a 24-yard TD. Johnson, who has committed to play for Southern Methodist, completed his first six passes and finished 9-for-12 with 143 yards. He added 32 yards on four rushes.
As a junior, Johnson produced more than 2,000 yards of total offense while leading JT to the area round. Johnson, along with six other offensive starters, return next season for the Lions.
"You can't substitute anything for experience," said JT head coach Dereck Rush, whose team brings back a dozen starters next year. "Jeremy's a natural leader. He's got it -- whatever 'it' is. We're delighted to have him."
The offense wore white jerseys and the defense donned blue in the scrimmage, which employed a modified scoring system, with series' starting at the 25-yard line.
With Johnson leading the way, the first-team offense operated smoothly, producing 12 first downs in its two series.
Demetree Curtis contributed 71 yards of offense (4-57 rushing, 1-14 receiving) from the slot while Kedrick Chancellor chalked up 54 yards (4-44 rushing, 1-10 receiving) out of the backfield.
JT received a pleasant surprise in Collins, who showed his breakaway ability on the night's longest play. Collins, another outgoing junior, played quarterback last year on the junior varsity.
"The first team did a tremendous job as far as executing the plays and blocking, catching and throwing" Rush said. "Ricky Collins showed that all throughout spring practice this year. We knew he could catch and had explosive speed."
While the offense prevailed, the defense showed signs, picking off three passes. Javolis Heard snagged the first interception, followed by Tykei Moore and Triston Wade. A penalty negated another interception by Chris Hackett.
Heard and Darrien Starling started at the corners, with Hackett and Tarik Spencer opening up at safety.
JT's starting linebacker core of Alvin Arps, Cliff Caldwell and Antjuan Lee each recorded three tackles. Ashton Dorsey, a defensive tackle committed to Texas, pressured the quarterback once in limited action.
"We lost our entire secondary, but I think those four stepped up and played well," Rush said. "We just have to continue the momentum."
JT opens up what figures to be a promising season Aug. 28 at Texas High in Texarkana.
"Going into the summer I think we've made strides in the right direction," added Rush. "They competed, showed effort and had enthusiasm. That was the main thing we were looking for."
LIONS' TALES
The offense received points for scoring touchdowns (six) and making first downs (one) while the defense scored for forcing a turnover (three), making a third-down stop (one) and coming up with a sack or tackle behind the line of scrimmage (one) ... In the JV game, Ronald Adams scored on a pair of runs, including a 71-yarder. Also, Abece Dorsey punched in on a short run while DeVonte' Haggerty competed a 30-yard TD pass to Travion Horn.
