The ironic part is that Brody Johnson expected to be an inside linebacker last season, and maybe get a few carries here and there as a running back.
Johnson was only a sophomore last fall, and he really didn’t care what position he played. He was just thrilled to be on the Reeths-Puffer varsity football roster.
Then fall practice got rolling and Johnson got the chance to work out with the running backs. The more the coaches saw, the more they liked the idea of the young kid carrying the ball.
By the time the first game rolled around, Johnson was the Rockets’ starting tailback, and he literally ran with the opportunity.
Reeths-Puffer junior running back Brody Johnson, who rushed for 1,044 yards last season.
He ended up rushing for 1,044 yards on 126 carries over the course of the season, which averaged out to an impressive 8.2 yards per carry. Eight of his rushes ended up being touchdowns.
Johnson was the spark that helped the Rockets recover from a season-opening loss to Grand Haven. He rushed for 202 yards in Week 2 in a 19-6 victory over St. Johns, then ran for 278 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-18 win over Wyoming.
Another big game came later in the season, when Johnson had touchdown runs of 50, 34 and 23 yards in a 48-20 win over Holland.
“They knew I could run the ball, and they wanted to give me a chance,” Johnson said. “I was up against some senior running backs at the time, but I just gave it my all, had a good scrimmage, and I got the chance to start in Week 1.
“We had a lot of other backs who could run the ball as well as I could, but they chose me, and I was grateful for that. I didn’t expect it to turn out the way it did, but with hard work you can get results.”
Johnson, in the foreground, gets ready to take a pass during team camp in Holland in July.
This year’s Reeths-Puffer squad will be very inexperienced, with only a handful of starters returning from last year’s 3-6 team.
Considering that, having a 1,000-yard rusher returning to the backfield is very good news for new R-P head coach Cody Kater.
“Having someone take ownership of the position, who is willing to grow and get better, that’s what you’re looking for,” Kater said about Johnson. “He is obviously going to be one of the pillars of our offense.”
Johnson admits he was a bit nervous when he heard that Kater was replacing Matt Bird as head coach, but after a summer of practice, he’s comfortable with and excited about the new regime.
“I was shocked, to be honest,” Johnson said. “Having a new coach coming in, who knows nothing about the team or the players, is a little bit scary at first. I just didn’t know what was going to happen. But there’s a lot more energy in every practice now, and he keeps us in check and makes sure we do the little things right.”
Johnson was all smiles after his 202-yard breakout game last season.
Johnson said his teammates have also bought into the new coach and his program.
“They think he’s an amazing coach,” he said. “They like how he’s very strict. That’s what we need, a coach who’s going to put us in line and give us a platform to be successful.”
Kater also wondered about Johnson at first, because he wasn’t convinced the standout running back was willing to push himself and try to build on his breakout season.
But the coach has been pleased with the way Johnson has been working and improving over the past few months.
"I was a little concerned that, because he gained 1,000 yards, he might be in cruise control a little bit, and might just be waiting for the season to get here, but then he really started to grow and show us that he wants to get better,” Kater said. “He has put a lot of hard work in, and we’re excited to see where he might go with it this year.”
While Kater is still getting to know Johnson’s rushing skills, he has seen enough to say that they are a mix of a little bit of everything.
Johnson gets the ball pitched to him in the season opener last year at Grand Haven.
Johnson runs with some power, but he’s not the type of guy who will plow over every defender, the coach. said. He also has speed, but not the type that will throw fear into the hearts of every opponent.
Johnson gains his advantage by using his brain and instincts when he has the ball, Kater said.
“He has great vision and he anticipates the cuts he has to make,” Kater said. “Those are the things he’s best at and known for. He’s really good inside the box, and he’s starting to turn those two-yard gains into four-yard gains.”
Johnson and his teammates are hungry to put last year’s disappointing season to rest and lay the foundation for a better future for the Rockets.
After its 2-1 start last year, R-P floundered down the stretch, going 1-5 in its last six games.
R-P coach Cody Kater works with the offense during team drills on Sunday.
“The whole team expected to have a playoff run, but we came up short a few games,” Johnson said.
Johnson is convinced things will be much better this fall, despite having so many new faces in the lineup.
“Even though we are low experience, I think the guys on the team have what it takes to do what we need to do,” he said. “The job is not easy, but we can handle it.”
Johnson said Thursday’s opener against Grand Haven will be a big first test, and he thinks it will be important to get a victory.
R-P has struggled against the Buccaneers in recent years, going 1-6 in the last seven matchups.
“To me it’s very important to start the season with a win, especially when it’s the home opener,” Johnson said. "Last year they beat us, and I kind of look at this as a revenge game.”