Johnson – Berks Sports Report

Evan Johnson-Twin Valley

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 19:43:02 +0000

Evan Johnson doesn’t just perform under the bright lights on Friday night. He also performs on stage. The Twin Valley RB/FS enjoys participating in high school musicals. As a sophomore, Johnson had a lead role in “Grease.” He’ll be a key figure once again this fall on the gridiron. The 5’11, 160-pound rising senior averaged 9.6 yards per carry a season ago. Johnson ran for 936 yards and a dozen touchdowns. The Raiders went (10-2, 5-1) and earned a share of the Section 3 championship with Ephrata and Garden Spot. Their season ended with a 65-28 loss at home to Manheim Central in the District 3-4A semifinals. “Ever since that Manheim [Central] game, we’ve been working very hard and we’re not looking back,” said Johnson. Twin Valley returns eight starters on offense and five on defense. Evan Myers, son of head coach Brett Myers, is back for his fourth year as the starting quarterback. He completed 59 percent of his passes and threw for 1,472 yards in 2023. Myers’ top target, junior Ben Grundy, had 27 receptions for 505 yards last year. Myers is the Raiders’ all-time passing leader. They can run the ball too. Johnson will be joined in the backfield by junior Drew Engle. As a sophomore, Engle piled up 1,411 yards on the ground with 13 scores. He averaged a remarkable 10.5 yards per carry. Navy commit Aris Drake (6’5, 295) will help pave the way for the two speedsters. Delaware Valley transfer Carter Faubel (6’1, 280) will step in at guard. Greyson Miller and Noah DiGiacomo both started on the offensive line as sophomores last fall. Lucas Myers, Evan’s younger brother, is a rising sophomore with a bright future at linebacker. Johnson stays busy after football season. He’s a sprinter on the track and field team, as well as a basketball player. “They help me a lot…hand-eye coordination, speed, being a leader,” said Johnson. He ran 11.51 seconds in the 100 meters. Twin Valley is moving down to Section 4 this year. The Raiders open the season at Berks Catholic on August 23. “I’m looking forward to it a lot, never played them. It will be a fight,” replied Johnson.

Evan Johnson-Twin Valley

Paul Roberts — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 01:42:47 +0000

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.

Eden Johnson-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 22:58:00 +0000

Eden Johnson certainly isn’t playing like a first-year starter at QB for the Mustangs. The 195-pound senior ran for 71 yards and a TD on eight carries in a 42-14 victory over Wilson in front of about 5,000 fans! Johnson also had an INT on defense. When I asked Johnson about playing in a backfield with Nick Singleton and Trey Rock, he said “You can’t stop all of us.” Johnson transferred to Gov. Mifflin from West Catholic last year. He told me that he’s feeling right at home in Shillington. Johnson also made sure to credit the offensive line.