Braun Johnson ran for 326 yards and six touchdowns on just 14 carries Friday, leading Millsap High School to a 63-0 rout of Eastland on the same day his father and head coach, Jacob Johnson, died at age 45. The junior running back's performance, an average of 23.3 yards every time he touched the ball, came in a game his own family asked to go on as scheduled.
Jacob Lawrence Johnson died Friday morning after living with leukemia for three years, according to star-telegram.com. He had coached the Bulldogs since 2015, building a 52-71 overall record as Millsap's head football coach and athletic director, before his cancer relapsed in September and he stepped away from the sidelines to continue treatment. Despite the family's loss just hours earlier, the Johnsons asked that Millsap's district matchup against Eastland proceed as originally planned, and the San Antonio Express-News reported that the game went forward at their request.
A Stadium Dressed in Orange
Most fans in attendance wore orange to support the Johnson family, while Millsap players wore orange armbands or socks to honor their coach, the Star-Telegram's report on the game noted. The Bulldogs defense matched the emotion of the night by posting its only shutout of the season, holding Eastland scoreless in the 63-0 win. Millsap improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in District 5-3A Division II with the victory.
Braun, a junior, is Jacob Johnson's son, and he dedicated the night's performance to his late father. Per the same account, he shared a video of himself pointing toward the sky after scoring a touchdown and wrote online, this is for you dad love you! ave ave christus rex!! He also thanked his teammates for blocking and supporting him and his father, writing, great team win friday!
A Breakout Season Cut Short by Tragedy
The Eastland performance was the latest in a season of eye-popping numbers for Braun, who is averaging 270 rushing yards per game and nearly 17 yards per carry, the San Antonio Express-News report on the game states. Earlier in the year, the running back scored four touchdowns and gained 127 yards against Callisburg, according to sports.yahoo.com. He also rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns against McGregor while adding a 38-yard touchdown pass, and ran for 201 yards and two scores against Tolar, where he sealed a 44-40 win by strip-sacking the opposing quarterback on one of the final plays, per the same Yahoo Sports account.
Season touchdown totals differed: the Express-News' game story on the Eastland win put his mark at 30 touchdowns, while an earlier Star-Telegram report ahead of that game listed 33 touchdowns and 1,815 rushing yards. MaxPreps featured him under its “Stat Freaks” heading.
What Comes Next for the Bulldogs
Millsap, located west of Fort Worth in Parker County, is scheduled to play Hamilton on the road Friday, and a win would clinch a share of the district title for the Bulldogs. Before that game, the community will gather to remember Jacob Johnson: a funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, November 1, at Millsap High School Stadium, according to an obituary posted on legacy.com.
For a program and a town still absorbing the loss of a coach who led the Bulldogs for more than a decade, Friday night's blowout victory became something larger than a district win. It was, as Braun Johnson made clear in his own words to friends and teammates, a game played and won for his father.
