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 Orlando 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 parents’ gamble has paid off even if it’s caused some hard feelings
Amar’e played only briefly this past Friday night during Bishop Moore’s 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 back’s 1,064 yards and 16 TDs on 121 carries.
“He’s worked hard. Very hard,” insisted father Darryl “Boogie” Johnson, a former all-West Virginia tailback for Wheeling Park High School back in the early 1990s. “Getting him to Bishop Moore was one thing, but he’s had to do it for himself, and he has.”
Like Dad did.
“Boogie” Johnson is his alma mater’s 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 program’s all-time record. He played D-I ball at Oklahoma State, and since he’s been a businessman, an educator, a coach, and most importantly, the father of his two sons.
Like brother, Savion, did, too, while leading the Patriots to the high school’s one and only big-school state championship in 2015.
“Amar’e is way bigger than I was back then because I was only 180 pounds as a senior and he’s around 193 right now,” Johnson said. “He’s taller, too, and he looks down at me these days. He’s a running back who likes to get outside and go, but he’s more physical than some people think he is. Amar’e is physical like his brother was. Savion ran people over when he was healthy.
“Amar’e may be a scat back, but he still likes to run through people and take his shots like his brother did,” he described. “Bishop Moore is a great school, too, and he’s a 4.0 student because he knows to take his classes seriously. He knows he needs his education, for sure.”
Go Bears!!
Springfield, Missouri, is a city of about 170,000 residents where Bass Pro Shop and O’Reilly Auto Parts operate headquarter offices. Some call it the “Buckle of the Bible Belt” thanks to the town’s history with evangelical Christianity, and Missouri State University plays an important role in the community’s economy.
The Bears have been playing football since 1909, and this season is the program’s first in Conference USA. They’re 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.
“I do like Missouri State,” said Johnson, who travels to Fort Lauderdale for each of his son’s games. “They were the most consistent of the schools that contacted Amar’e. The programs that are really interested call pretty often, and he’s had a lot of calls from running back coaches and head coaches, too. But sometimes you’ll hear from one of them, but they won’t call back for weeks.
“It was the people from Missouri State that called week after week, and that tells you they are really interested,” he said. “I’ve told him not to commit to a school just because it’s 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, they’re in the portal because they didn’t get their shot at the school they signed with.”
Amar’e 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.
“I 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,” Johnson said. “Finally, we said, ‘Let’s do this.’
“And it was hell. It was tough,” he said. “But he’s committed now to a growing D-I program, and that’s his dream come true.”
What About Legacy?
Ten years ago, Amar’e was the runt little brother always hanging off one of his big brother’s 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 Amar’e watched as his big brother gained 114 yards on 23 carries despite dislocating his left shoulder three times.
Amar’e always believed he would follow Savion to the next level, too, and he did play his freshman and sophomore seasons wearing Park’s red, white, and blue. But then the Johnson family made decisions based on potential and opportunity, and his moving south didn’t make everyone happy.
“Some people have had a problem with what we decided to do with Amar’e going to Florida to play his last two seasons of high school football, but that’s because they don’t understand how it is these days when it comes to college recruiting,” Johnson said. “And 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.
“It was tough for Amar’e to go down there, but his dream has always been to play Division I football,” he said. “We 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 Amar’e performed. That’s because the coaches and the scouts kind of discredit the players from West Virginia, and that was true back when I played, too.”
“Boogie” lived full-time with his son in Florida last year, and this year his mother, Natalie, is residing with him in Orlando. 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’s staff, “Boogie” no longer is. Instead, he served as the running backs coach for the Ohio Valley Ironmen and will again next season.
“There are some people who haven’t gotten over our decision,” Johnson said. “Bishop Moore is not an IMG Academy, but Bishop Moore is right there, and we’re lucky to have Amar’e there because he’s playing with six other D-I kids on this year’s team. There were seven last year, so they’re doing something right.
“It’s just a different world in Florida. It really is,” he said. “I 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 they’ve always been there for me and my family, and I hate it that some people are still upset with our decision.
“Trust me, if I thought playing for a West Virginia high school would have given him the chance to play D-I, that’s where he would have played. We would never have left. But that’s just not how it works these days.”
