ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Johnson Shows Ability to Make Sound Choices as Well as Solid Gains

The Channel Islands coaching staff assembled last week for a state of the Johnson address. More specifically, the state of John Johnson’s left ankle, John Johnson’s right ankle and John Johnson’s right wrist--all of which were ailing.

Johnson’s response, on the eve of the Raiders’ game against rival Oxnard: check, check and check.

“I wasn’t supposed to play,” Johnson said. “The doctor told me I shouldn’t, but this was one game I couldn’t miss.”

And one game Channel Islands could hardly afford to play without him.

Bad to the ‘bone, Oxnard swaggered into the game on the heels of blowout wins over Camarillo and Westlake. The Yellowjackets averaged 332 yards rushing with their wishbone attack. Channel Islands needed its counterpunch, and Johnson delivered the knockout.

The senior running back rushed for 200 yards and 4 touchdowns in 19 carries in leading the Raiders to a 26-25 victory. He scored on runs of 67, 55, 11 and 2 yards.

“As a staff, we were considering whether or not he would play,” Coach Joel Gershon said. “We sat down with John to talk about it. We trust him enough to help make that decision.

“He was obviously a big factor. He ran like John Johnson. It’s like he gets in a different mode and he plays at a different level.”

In Channel Islands’ first two games, Johnson was closer to a mere mortal. He sprained his right ankle during hell week, his left ankle during the Raiders’ win over Hueneme and his right wrist last week. He rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown in limited time against Rio Mesa and Hueneme. The Oxnard game, however, was different.

Johnson returned to the form of his junior season when he rush for 1,672 yards, a 9.8-yard average and 27 touchdowns. He is 1,449 yards from breaking the Ventura County career rushing record. Thousand Oaks’ Marc Monestime, who gained 4,024 in three years, set the record last season. Johnson’s brother, Hilria, held the record for eight years until Monestime came along.

“I started off real slow,” Johnson said, “but this last game put me into high gear. I’m just about there.”

The timing could not be better. Channel Islands, the second-ranked team in the Times’ Valley poll, enters Marmonte League play Friday against Westlake.

And while wins over area rivals Hueneme and Oxnard are gratifying, the Raiders would like to win the league title, as they did last year, and take another shot at the Division II championship. They lost in the final of the Coastal Conference playoffs last season to league foe Thousand Oaks.

“Last year, we gave the seniors a goodby present,” Johnson said. “It was real exciting. This year we’re going to try to give ourselves a present.”

Johnson already has given his teammates the biggest present he possibly could--his health.