ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : Johnson Has Surgery, May Miss 3 Weeks

Bret Johnson of El Toro High School, one of the country’s best high school quarterbacks, is expected to be sidelined for three weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery Friday for a ligament strain in his right knee suffered Thursday night in an 18-11 victory over Fountain Valley.

“He should be 100% in two or three weeks with the proper rehabilitation,” said Bob Johnson, Bret’s father and El Toro coach. “He took quite a blow, but fortunately major surgery wasn’t necessary.”

Johnson was injured when he was sacked by three defenders with two minutes to play. Dr. Mark Legome, El Toro’s team physician, performed the surgery at Mission Community Hospital in Mission Viejo.

Reserve tight end John Blackburn replaced Johnson Thursday night, but Bob Johnson said he is uncertain who will start next week against Villa Park. El Toro has a 16-game winning streak over two seasons, the second longest in the Southern Section.

“We might bring up a sophomore, we just don’t know who the quarterback is at this time,” Johnson said.

Johnson will begin physical therapy Monday and is expected to wear a knee brace once he returns. His father said it was Bret’s first sports-related injury.

“Bret is a fast-healing type of guy, but we won’t rush him,” Johnson said. “Whenever he’s 100% . . . whenever he can sprint, scramble and make things happen, that’s when he’ll come back. We’re probably looking at three weeks.”

Johnson passed for 2,458 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior and was named The Times’ Orange County Back of the Year. He was listed as one of the top five quarterbacks in the nation by USA Today before the start of the 1987 season.