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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Johnson Overcame Injuries, Weight Problems In Road from PHS to Sunshine Bowl and Kean
By Matt Manley
T.R. Johnson first got a taste of the Sunshine Football Classic all-star game as a spectator three years ago.
Johnson was only a Princeton High freshman at the time, but he already decided that when his time came three years later, he would be playing in the annual summer game held at The College of New Jersey. After all, he had already endured a full season as a varsity football player at PHS.
Typically, high school athletes enjoy their seasons more than they endure them, but when you play for a team that was looking to break through with a victory, games can become more punishment than play.
Nevertheless, Johnson endured, enjoyed, and flourished in his four years at PHS and will be rewarded when he steps onto the field at The College of New Jersey this Thursday to play for the East team in the 2005 Sunshine Football Classic.
Despite the individual glory of being selected to compete in the annual all-star game, Johnson is most excited about making a name for the PHS program.
"I was really happy when I heard I got picked," said Johnson, who will be joined on the East squad by PHS teammates Vinny Giacalone and Vance Slocum.
"It's been a goal of mine to play in this game since I was a freshman. Now that I get to go, I'm excited because not only do I get to show what I can do, but I also want to show that people from Princeton can play football. We're not just some team you can just run over anymore."
Johnson's demeanor and physical stature suggest he was born to play in the trenches. At 5'10, 320 pounds, he can overpower some of the best linemen in the state, but judges his success based on victories rather than pancake blocks.
Based on Johnson's method of evaluation, he had an outstanding year. The powerful lineman helped lead perennial doormat PHS from the bottom of the standings to a more-than-respectable 5-5 campaign in 2004.
PHS head coach Steve Everette, the engineer of the turnaround, credits Johnson with having a major impact on the program's progress.
"T.R. was our muscle guy," Everette said. "He is a dominating presence. At 290 pounds, he can run pretty well, so we liked to pull him. That was an important play in our offense and he allowed us to run it very effectively."
Although Johnson has proved in his four years that he can manhandle or at least block all comers, his road to Kean University, where he will play next year, has not been an easy one.
After breaking his ankle at the end of his freshman season in 2001, Johnson's inactivity caused him to balloon to around 370 pounds.
"All I did was eat," recalled Johnson. "I couldn't do anything else, so I just watched TV and ate. I didn't even realize I was gaining weight."
Johnson suspects that he reached about 400 pounds before he decided to re-dedicate himself to getting in shape. Although he showed promise in the limited time he was on the field in 2002, Johnson and his coach knew his football days were numbered if he didn't lose more weight.
"Coach Everette had me just sweating any way I could," added Johnson. "It was really tough but not playing as much in my sophomore year really motivated me and Coach Everette was there with me the whole time. Without coach, I probably would have given up."
Everette's efforts may have sparked a fire in Johnson, but the soon-to-be fourth-year head coach deflects the credit right back to his senior leader.
"It took tremendous dedication to accomplish what he did," said Everette of Johnson. "That experience really helped him grow as a player and as a person and you could really see it."
One year later and nearly 100 pounds lighter, Johnson was a full-time player again. Sprints became easier, games felt shorter, and the quarterbacks and running back he chased after didn't seem quite as fast as they used to.
Even with his greatest challenge behind him, Johnson still faces the criticisms that most players of his physical stature face.
"I've been to Division I camps and I always hear the same thing: 'He's too small, he's too short, he's going to get dominated by guys who are half-a-foot taller. I just want the chance to show what I can do. I've been dominating guys who are taller than me all my life and I know I can do it at the next level if I get the chance."
It's hard to believe a young man the size of Johnson is too small for anything, but when going up against similarly talented players who are 6'4 and 340 pounds, it is certainly understandable that there are concerns about his size.
Johnson, however, is tired of hearing the knocks against him and is champing at the bit to put on a show Thursday night and force those critics to throw their old scouting reports out the window.
The way his football career has played out, it would be unwise to doubt Johnson when he lays out his plans for this game and beyond. His passion for the game has been the driving force in everything he does and has taken him all the way up to this point.
"Football has been my life," Johnson said. "It's the reason I get up in the morning. Without football, I don't know where I'd be."
His life might have been different, but two things are certain. With football Johnson has a chance to display his skills with the best players in the area, and without Johnson's efforts, the PHS football program wouldn't be on the right track.
