Well-traveled junior standout finds a home with Jeannette
Tri-State Sports & News Service
When Anthony Johnson enrolled at Jeannette last December, he came with the reputation of being an outstanding basketball talent who was about as welltraveled as Lewis and Clark. Jeannette was his fourth high school in a little more than two years.
A year later, Johnson is still at Jeannette and is thriving, and he’s doing it in a sport he not long ago didn’t want anything to do with — football.
“People told me I’d get the most college attention playing football, so I did it,” said Johnson, who is already receiving interest from the likes of Pitt and West Virginia.
Jeannette coach Roy Hall couldn’t be happier that Johnson did. Playing football for the first time since he was 11 years old, Johnson has quickly developed into a stud at defensive end. He leads Jeannette in tackles and was named defensive lineman of the year in the Class 1A Eastern Conference. His play helped Jeannette win its first WPIAL title in a decade and has the Jayhawks one win away from the PIAA championship game. The Jayhawks (13-1) play Farrell (11-2) in a semifinal Friday at Seneca Valley.
“I saw the potential he had on the basketball court; the way he moved, his size. I knew he was a great athlete,” Hall recalled of watching Johnson last basketball season when he averaged 27 points in four games before the WPIAL ruled him ineligible, claiming he transferred from Allderdice for athletic reasons. Johnson previously made stops at Chartiers Valley and Lincoln Park.
Watch Johnson play and the first thing that sticks out is his size. He’s 6 feet 5 and a lean 220 pounds. His speed and athleticism then take center stage when he rushes the quarterback or hunts down a ball carrier. And when you realize he’s relatively new to football, one word will likely first come to mind — upside. Johnson has lots of it.
“Right now I’m doing everything with my legs, but once I learn how to use my hands, I think I’m going to be dominant,” said Johnson, a youngster who is anything but shy and plays with a lot of emotion.
Hall raves about Johnson’s work ethic, saying he has a motor that never stops. Hall said that in his decades of coaching, he has never had a player so raw make such an impact. Johnson had a team-high 8.5 tackles (three for loss) and a pass breakup in a 35-34 win against Imani Christian in the WPIAL championship.
“He still has some things to work on, but the sky’s the limit for him,” Hall said. “He’s only a junior. If a team wants a player with a ton of upside, they should watch him play. And I’m not talking about Division II or III schools. I’m talking about some of the better Division I schools.”
The high school basketball season begins Dec. 8-9, the same weekend as the PIAA football championships.
While Johnson is looking forward to showcasing his basketball talents, he said he wouldn’t mind if his season is delayed.
“This has been the goal the whole time, winning a state championship,” he said.
Getting past Farrell is the next step. Farrell has won three consecutive District 10 titles and six in the past 10 years. The Steelers finished as the PIAA runnerup in 2015 and lost to Clairton in last year’s semifinals.
Farrell has a dynamic offense led by quarterback Isaac Clarke (2,176 yards, 30 touchdowns), running back Christian Lewis ( 1,330 yards, 20 touchdowns) and wide receiver Jourdan Townsend (66 catches, 1,509 yards, 30 touchdowns). Seven of Townsend’s touchdowns have come on defense and special teams. A junior, Townsend owns a scholarship offer from Kansas State. Farrell averages 43 points per game and played one WPIAL team in the regular season, losing to Neshannock, 28-26, on Aug. 25.
The previous time Jeannette played in a PIAA playoff game, Terrelle Pryor was its quarterback. Pryor accounted for five touchdowns to lead Jeannette to its first PIAA title with a 4921 win against Dunmore in 2007.