Johnson RB Terrance Grant Jr. steps up, delivers coach Steve Hoffman's 100th win
You never know when you might have to step up. Johnson freshman running back Terrance Grant Jr. didn't, but he was ready for his opportunity Friday night versus Anderson when he heard that starter Kael Hatnot wouldn’t be available.
“This week, it was just out of nowhere. Our starting running back Kael had a little knee injury and I had to step up,” Grant said. “I think personally, I did my job and filled in.”
The freshman’s definition of “filling in” is 225 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-27 win over a tough district opponent. All in all, the Jaguars' rushing attack didn’t miss a beat with Grant, running back Devon Blackwell and quarterback Carson McMullin combining for 488 yards and six touchdowns.
It was a strong performance that was capped off by Johnson (3-2, 2-1 District 26-6A) coach Steve Hoffman earning his 100th career win, though he dismissed it with a simple wave of his hand.
“The most important thing is that we won tonight,” Hoffman said. “I’m proud of our kids. This football team has faced so much adversity from the start of the season up until this week. I’m just so proud of how they hung together.”
What adversity? Well, at the end of the first half, Johnson was only up 21-13, so Anderson (2-3, 1-2) was far from defeated heading into halftime.
The real test came late in the fourth. Down 42-27 with 4:21 left in the game and the ball on the 7-yard line, Anderson was on the verge of making it a one score game.
That’s when the Johnson defense, which won the turnover battle 3-0, had its biggest play. On fourth-and-2, the line got pressure on Trojans quarterback Brady Gephart, who rolled out and tossed it up to receiver Ed Small, a play that had been working for most of the night. The duo connected for three touchdowns and 185 yards prior.
Not this time. Gephart’s pass fell incomplete, putting the ball back into the Jaguars’ hands.
“They did a great job, man," Hoffman said. "They bowed up and they had some big stops tonight. The Small kid, is a heck of a dang football player. There’s not many guys better than he is, so just to be able to go out there and get stops and stuff, I was real proud of our defense.”
And then what happened right after? Grant ripped off his biggest run of the night, a 93-yard house call that iced the game.
“He’s going to be, probably the best back the next couple of years that there’s going to be anywhere,” Hoffman said of the freshman. “We’re real proud of him and he’s just getting better, he’s just scratching the surface.”
Even with his massive game, the rest of the offense was equally devastating. Blackwell rushed the ball six times for 114 yards and scored on half of his attempts. McMullin had a 53-yard run in the first half and surpassed it with a 70 yarder for a score in the fourth.
It’s never too early to start talking about playoffs, especially in crucial district matchups. The Jaguars will be facing Dripping Springs (3-1, 2-0 in District 26 6-A), one of the top-ranked teams in the district next week. However, Grant sees the potential for his team to make waves when November and December come around.
“We’re a good team when it comes to individual players," Grant said. "If we put all our talents together ... we’re going to do our best, we’re going to prevail and succeed in the playoffs for sure.”
And does he think that his coach is right? Can he become one of, if not the best back in Austin?
“If I keep working, I’m going to get that soon," Grant said. "I believe that with all my heart. And it will happen."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Johnson defeats Anderson, giving coach Steve Hoffman 100 career wins
