Burnet’s Joel Johnson puts emphasis on teamwork over stats

JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

BURNET — Midway through the fourth quarter, the Burnet High School football team was clinging to a 34-28 lead against Waco Robinson on Oct. 16.

But the Rockets had the Bulldogs pinned on their five-yard line and knew a stop here would give them good field position and control of the clock for a game-winning drive.

Burnet senior receiver Joel Johnson changed that with one move.

On an out route, he caught the football, stopped to wait for a defender to fly by and then took the ball 95 yards for a touchdown.

He finished with seven receptions for 180 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 45-30 win. So far this season, he has 35 catches for 766 yards and eight touchdowns.

Johnson, however, didn’t start putting up these kinds of numbers until Week 4 against Waco University. Before that, he had a total of eight catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

“I think Joel’s gotten a lot of attention the first couple of ballgames just based off his numbers from last year, and deservedly so,” head coach Kurt Jones said. “We feel like, if our offense operates the right way, that eventually those numbers will come around for all those kids, and they’ll make their big plays. We know that’s certain about any of our skill position players.”

Against University, Johnson caught eight passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Jones later said that coaches decided to try some different things to give Johnson better opportunities to make a play.

To his credit, the receiver hasn’t worried about individual statistics even though he caught 63 passes for 1,484 yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago.

“I like seeing everyone contribute,” he said. “It’s a team sport. I think in the long run, it’ll get us wins.”

He praises the work ethic and talent of teammate Steven Gallardo, a junior receiver, who has 48 catches for 729 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Gallardo recorded 53 passes for 602 yards and six touchdowns in 2014.

And it’s not just Gallardo, Johnson said, as he rattled off several other names in rapid fire. He believes the system allows Burnet to be successful and doesn’t allow opponents to focus on one Bulldog.

“We do have so many weapons,” he said. “If you double-team me, in the long run, it’s good for the team.”

He smiled when asked who was the fastest player on the team, deciding instead to talk about the Bulldogs’ 400-meter relay team that finished sixth at the Class 4A state meet in May. Senior athlete Brock Foster, Gallardo and Johnson were all members of the relay team.

“All three of us are the same speed,” he said with a grin.

He believes the hard work the players put in during the offseason leads to success during the season, noting they usually work out together and challenge each other. Just like other Bulldogs before them, someone will call for a workout and invite the others to participate, Johnson said, and they’ll show up to run pass routes.

If the Bulldogs are struggling on a specific play, it’s not unusual for them to stay and work on it on their own even after coaches have dismissed the others, he said.

“It’s been said we have a lot of talented skill position players,” he said, “talent that’s willing to work hard.”

Johnson credits his success to another player: senior cornerback Darius Johnson. The two line up against each other during practices.

“We’ll go the hardest on each other,” he said. “We keep each other whole and keep each other accountable.”

So who usually wins the battles?

“Depends on the day,” Joel Johnson said with a grin. “I get him more, sometimes. I don’t know what he’d say.”

The son of Kim and Todd Johnson said he would love to play college football, but if that doesn’t happen, he wants to attend the University of Texas at Austin or Texas Tech University to begin his studies in the field of medicine.

College remains in the future, so Johnson will continue to focus on the present, and that’s winning a District 13-4A Division I championship and many playoff games.

“I want to go to state,” he said. “I would love to win district and win as many games was we can.”

Burnet hosts Waco La Vega on Oct. 30 at Bulldog Stadium, 1000 The Green Mile. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Listen to the contest on 106.5 powered by KBEY or at KBEYFM.com starting with a 7 p.m. pregame show.

jfierro@thepicayune.com