Evan Johnson-Twin Valley

There’s excitement surrounding the Twin Valley football program.  It started last year under Kris Olsen when the Raiders qualified for the District 3 playoffs for the first time in school history.  Twin Valley went (6-5) and achieved its first winning season since 2007.  Brett Myers took over as head coach and the momentum has continued in Elverson.  Sophomore RB/CB Evan Johnson has noticed an increased number of kids playing junior high football.  “We’re changing the culture around here. We’re impacting younger kids’ lives. We’re only going up from here,” emphasized Johnson.  The (6-4) Raiders are headed back to the District 3 tournament for the second year in a row.  They host (6-4) Milton Hershey in the Class 4A quarterfinals on Friday night.  “This is huge for us. I’m very proud of our guys. This is a really big opportunity to show what we’re made of,” noted Johnson.  Twin Valley earned the #4 seed by winning three of its last four contests.  The Raiders are averaging 34 points and 336 yards per game.  Johnson leads the team with 789 rushing yards.  The 5’10, 160-pound underclassman is averaging a sparkling eight yards per carry.  Johnson has a dozen rushing touchdowns and two through the air.  He opened some eyes last year by averaging 12.7 yards per carry on 27 touches.  Johnson has a great relationship with sophomore quarterback Evan Myers.  The head coach’s son has thrown for 1,098 yards and seven scores with just three interceptions.  Evan can use his legs as well.  He’s averaging 6.7 yards per carry with nine rushing touchdowns.  Twin Valley’s offense got a boost when a pair of baseball players decided to come out for the team.  Jaydon Goebel hadn’t played football since his freshman year.  The 6’2, 210-pound senior has provided a physical presence in the backfield.  Goebel, a catcher in the spring, has ran for 715 yards and a team-high 14TD.  Josh Zolty is a nice target at wide receiver for Myers.  The senior is averaging a whopping 20 yards per catch.  Zolty leads the Raiders with 16 receptions.  I asked Johnson about the additions of Goebel and Zolty.  He replied, “It’s so amazing. I love having them on the team. They brought some of that baseball culture over here.”  Twin Valley ended up (3-3) in the new-look Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League.  Solanco went undefeated and captured the Section 3 title.  Elizabethtown and Garden Spot finished one game ahead of the Raiders in the Section 3 standings.  Johnson opened the season with 69 yards and 2TD in a 39-12 victory at Schuylkill Valley.  In Week 9, he piled up 121 yards on only nine carries at Daniel Boone.  Johnson broke off touchdown runs of 41 and 59 yards in the 43-20 win over the Blazers.  He’s one of 15 sophomores on the Twin Valley roster which includes 22 juniors.  Johnson told me that he’s a Seahawks’ fan because his aunt lives in Seattle.  Tyler Lockett is his favorite player.  Johnson also plays basketball for the Raiders.  We talked about his favorite NBA player, as well as his favorite teachers.  He gave credit to his mom for motivating him.  “She’s my #1 fan. She’s the best,” said Johnson.