He may have inherited his good looks and sweet smile from his mom, but he runs downhill like his father and brother did while they were making high school football history near the northern tip of West Virginia. Both got their chance to play college ball, too, and Amar'e Johnson's idea of a dream-come-true always has been to follow in their footsteps.
His path, though, included a pretty impressive detour leading to Fort Lauderdale where he enrolled at Bishop Moore Catholic High School so he could play for a Hornets football program known for developing next-level athletes. Based on his senior season stats and his recent commitment to Missouri State, his parentsā gamble has paid off even if itās caused some hard feelings
Amarāe played only briefly this past Friday night during Bishop Mooreās 48-0 win over Eustis, running the ball four times for 34 yards and catching two passes for 71 and a touchdown. The Hornets are now 7-0 thanks, in part, to the running backās 1,064 yards and 16 TDs on 121 carries.
Amar're did play his freshman and sophomore seasons at Wheeling Park High, but then he transferred to Bishop Moore before his junior year.
āHeās worked hard. Very hard,ā insisted father Darryl āBoogieā Johnson, a former all-West Virginia tailback for Wheeling Park High School back in the early 1990s. āGetting him to Bishop Moore was one thing, but heās had to do it for himself, and he has.ā
Like Dad did.
āBoogieā Johnson is his alma materās only Kennedy Award (player of the year) winner after he compiled 2,062 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns during his senior season in 1991, and his 4,100-plus yards remain the programās all-time record. He played D-I ball at Oklahoma State, and since heās been a businessman, an educator, a coach, and most importantly, the father of his two sons.
Natalie Spence is an educator in Ohio County, but she made arrangements so she could live with Amar'e during his senior season in Florida.
Like brother, Savion, did, too, while leading the Patriots to the high schoolās one and only big-school state championship in 2015.
āAmarāe is way bigger than I was back then because I was only 180 pounds as a senior and heās around 193 right now,ā Johnson said. āHeās taller, too, and he looks down at me these days. Heās a running back that likes to get outside and go, but heās more physical than some people think he is. Amarāe is physical like his brother was. Savion ran people over when he was healthy.
āAmarāe may be a scat back, but he still likes to run through people and take his shots like his brother did,ā he described. āBishop Moore is a great school, too, and heās a 4.0 student because he knows to take his classes seriously. He knows he needs his education, for sure.ā
Bishop Moore Catholic is located in the Fort Lauderdale area and the Hornets are known for a very strong football program.
Go Bears!!
Springfield, Missouri is a city of about 170,000 residents where Bass Pro Shop and OāReilly Auto Parts operate headquarter offices. Some call it the āBuckle of the Bible Beltā thanks to the townās history with evangelical Christianity, and Missouri State University plays an important role in the communityās economy.
The Bears have been playing football since 1909, and this season is the programās first in Conference USA. Theyāre 3-3 following a 22-20 win over Middle Tennessee, the Bears play their home games in Robert W. Plaster Stadium, and head coach Ryan Beard likes to run a balanced run-pass offense.
āI do like Missouri State,ā said Johnson, who travels to Fort Lauderdale for each of his sonās games. āThey were the most consistent of the schools that contacted Amarāe. The programs that are really interested call pretty often, and heās had a lot of calls from running back coaches and head coaches, too. But sometimes youāll hear from one of them, but they wonāt call back for weeks.
Bishop Moore Catholic is 7-0 with three games remaining, and Amar'e is the team's leading rusher with 1,064 yards and 16 rushing TDs.
āIt was the people from Missouri State that called week after week, and that tells you they are really interested,ā he said. āIāve told him not to commit to a school just because itās that school. It has to be the right school. There are a lot of five-star athletes that go to some of the bigger programs, and then we never hear from them again. Next thing you know, theyāre in the portal because they didnāt get their shot at the school they signed with.ā
Amarāe told Hall of Fame sports journalist Kim North last week that the recruiting process was a hectic one while speaking with coaches from college programs like Brown, Army, Navy, Old Dominion, Rhode Island, Dartmouth, and Marshall. Now that his son has committed, his father is pleased Amar'e chased his D-I dream.
āI still remember when it was coming down to the deadline to make the decision. Are we going to let him to go to Florida to chase his D-I dream, or does he stay here and we hope he runs for 2,500 yards so someone will at least hear about him and maybe come see him on the field? It was a big decision,ā Johnson said. āFinally, we said, āLetās do this.ā
āAnd it was hell. It was tough,ā he said. āBut heās committed now to a growing D-I program, and thatās his dream come true.ā
Savion and the 2015 Park Patriots defeated Capital High, 23-15, to capture the school's one and only state football title, and Amar'e was there to witness his brother's impressive performance despite dislocating his left shoulder three times during the game.
What About Legacy?
Ten years ago, Amarāe was the runt little brother always hanging off one of his big brotherās powerful legs, and his only wish was to follow Savion everywhere. Around the house. At practice. On the sidelines. Even during his rehabilitation sessions while recovering from a torn ACL that erased his junior season at WPHS.
And when Savion helped the Patriots beat Capital High 23-15 for the Class AAA state title at Wheeling Island Stadium on Dec. 5, 2015, an eight-year-old Amarāe watched as his big brother gained 114 yards on 23 carries despite dislocating his left shoulder three times.
Amarāe always believed he would follow Savion to the next level, too, and he did play his freshman and sophomore seasons wearing Parkās red, white, and blue. But then the Johnson family made decisions based on potential and opportunity, and his moving south didnāt make everyone happy.
When it comes to football, the Johnsons are very well known for their success on the gridiron.
āSome people have had a problem with what we decided to do with Amarāe going to Florida to play his last two seasons of high school football, but thatās because they donāt understand how it is these days when it comes to college recruiting,ā Johnson said. āAnd I know people are upset about it because of the legacy with me and Savion. That was one reason why it was such a tough decision, I will tell you that.
āIt was tough for Amarāe to go down there, but his dream has always been to play Division I football,ā he said. āWe went to all the right camps, too, but the kids from bigger cities and from states like Florida and Texas got all of the attention no matter how well Amarāe performed. Thatās because the coaches and the scouts kind of discredit the players from West Virginia, and that was true back when I played, too.ā
āBoogieā lived full-time with his son in Florida last year, and this year his mother, Natalie, is residing with him in Fort Lauderdale. Johnson is a paraprofessional working with children on the Austism spectrum at Wheeling Park, and while Savion is a member of head football coach Chris Daughtery staff, āBoogieā no longer is. Instead, he served as the running backs coach for the Ohio Valley Ironmen and will again next season.
Amar'e has committed to Missouri State, and he is expected to sign his contract at the beginning of December.
āThere are some people who havenāt gotten over our decision,ā Johnson said. āBishop Moore is not an IMG Academy, but Bishop Moore is right there, and weāre lucky to have Amarāe there because heās playing with six other D-I kids on this yearās team. There were seven last year, so theyāre doing something right.
āItās just a different world in Florida. It really is,ā he said. āI love Wheeling Park and anyone who knows me knows that. From Dr. Miller all the way down, I love the people in Ohio County Schools because theyāve always been there for me and my family, and I hate it that some people are still upset with our decision.
āTrust me, if I thought playing for a West Virginia high school would have given him the chance to play D-I, thatās where he would have played. We would never have left. But thatās just not how it works these days.ā
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