WHEELING, W.Va. — It’s been a long ride back for Wheeling Park rising senior running back Savion Johnson.
The 5-foot-11, 209 pound standout will be back on the field this season for the Patriots after missing all of 2014 following surgery on a torn ACL in his right knee. The injury, which came in preseason practice, dampened, a bit, what were high expectations for the Patriots last season — Johnson was coming off of a sophomore campaign where he rushed for 1,484 yards and 20 touchdowns.
“It was a shame, but things happen for a reason,” said Wheeling Park coach Chris Daugherty. “(Injuries) build mental toughness and a lot of different things – and I’ve seen that in him. It’s mentally grinding to get through an offseason and not be able to play, but have to get ready. He’s done a great job and will have a great senior season.”
Despite the loss of Johnson, the Patriots still put together a 9-3 season that ended with a playoff quarterfinal loss to eventual state champion Capital. It was then-senior Theo Blackston who stepped in for Johnson and had a very productive year in the backfield, finishing with 1,507 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground.
Johnson sat out through some of the 7-on-7 drills this summer as a precaution, but is expected to be close to 100 percent health-wise heading into the year.
“He looks good and is able to cut and move,” Daugherty said. “For a kid of his caliber, he wants to not only return, but he wants to return to the (physical) state that he was in before the injury. He’s done a really good job (of rehab) and from everything I can tell, he looks like his old self. He’s ready to go.”
The Patriots this year return six starters on offense and nine starters defensively. Quarterback Killian Coyne is gone, sparking a position battle between junior Austin Crebs and 6-foot-2, 180 pound sophomore standout Cross Wilkinson.
“We have half of our line back and two good, young quarterbacks,” Daugherty said. “Elijah Bell is coming back at wide-out, so we’ve got a good core coming back. We have 24 seniors.”
With new turf installed at Wheeling Island Stadium, a new scoreboard and audio system are also expected to be in place for the coming season. The Patriots’ first home game is set for September 11 against Taylor Allderdice (Pa.), following a season opening game at two-time defending Class AA state champion Bridgeport on September 4.
The Patriots will have their by bye on the first week of the season. Long road trips include a visit to St. Albans on October 2 and then Princeton on October 23.
“I don’t love being off the very first week,” Daugherty said. “It’s a tough, demanding schedule, but I think we have a team that can handle it. If we’re able to make the playoffs this year, it would be for the fifth time in a row and we’ve never done that before.
“When you get into the playoffs, you just go do what you do and hopefully it’s good enough,” he continued. “We do have high expectations of ourselves and we’ve got to stay healthy, which we haven’t done the last couple of years.”
2015 WHEELING PARK FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
WEEK | TEAM | DATE | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BYE WEEK |
August 28 | ||
2 | at BRIDGEPORT |
September 4 | ||
3 | vs. TAYLOR ALLDERDICE (Pa.) | September 11 | ||
4 | vs. UNIVERSITY |
September 18 | ||
5 | vs. BROOKE | September 25 |
6 | at ST. ALBANS |
October 2 | ||
7 | at MORGANTOWN |
October 9 | ||
8 | vs. CARRICK (Pa.) |
October 16 | ||
9 | at PRINCETON | October 23 | ||
10 | vs. PARKERSBURG SOUTH |
October 30 |
11 | at JOHN MARSHALL |
November 6 | ||
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