Evan Johnson is Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week
Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week
Evan Johnson’s been working at slowing down. The Twin Valley sophomore has speed to burn and knows that once he’s in the clear no one’s going to catch him.
The key to his breakout game Friday in a win over Milton Hershey was not hitting the holes too quickly. He was waiting for plays to develop, then finished them.
“I’ve been practicing my patience,” said the 5-10, 160-pound tailback, “(trying to improve) my vision to read a hole.”
Johnson read them correctly in the 43-29 district playoff victory, breaking off three long touchdown runs on the way to a career-high 205 rushing yards. He scored on runs 60, 68 and 42 yards to earn Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time.
“He’s pretty good, right?” deadpanned Raiders coach Brett Myers afterward.
Myers has been watching Johnson make his moves for years, so the big-time game came as no surprise. Johnson is in the same class as Myers’ son Evan, the Raiders’ quarterback, and they’ve played together on the way up to Twin Valley.
“He does some things that are natural in space,” Brett Myers said of Johnson, “stuff that’s not coached. He just understands. His vision is a little different.”
So is his sprinter’s speed. Once he hit that second full stride and saw a clear path against the Trojans, “I just knew that nobody could catch me,” he said.
His teammates feel likewise. Senior center Masen Ketner saw that last year when Johnson broke into the lineup at cornerback and got some touches in the backfield.
Johnson scored four touchdowns and averaged 12.7 yards per carry as a freshman.
“When he took off for a long touchdown (76 yards against Schuylkill Valley), that’s when I knew he was going to be something (special),” Ketner said. “He goes to work every day; he has an absolutely insane motor.”
Johnson is just the fourth player in program history to top 1,000 yards in a season; he’s at 1,003 heading into Friday’s District 3 Class 4A semifinal at Bishop McDevitt.
The Raiders’ other 1,000-yard rushers: Nick Wilkinson (2007), David Sabulsky (2016) and Dominic Caruso (2019).
Johnson leads the team with 17 touchdowns and is averaging 8.7 yards per carry. He’s fourth in rushing yards among backs in Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League and the 15th in the league to top 1,000 yards this season.
Johnson is the second Twin Valley player selected for a Player of the Week award this season; Mason Marks was named Defensive Player of the Week following a win over Daniel Boone.
Players considered for Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.
Also considered for Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week:
- Richie Karstien, RB, Exeter
- Mason Rotelli, QB, Exeter
- Jaydon Goebel, RB, Twin Valley
- Evan Myers, RB, Twin Valley
- Eddie Case, WR, Wilson
- Tommy Hunsicker, QB, Wilson
- Matt Kramer, FB, Wyomissing
Players selected earlier this season:
- Week 1: Gio Cavanna, RB, Muhlenberg
- Week 2: Cam Jones, RB, Wilson
- Week 3: Pierce Mason, RB, Hamburg
- Week 4: Gio Cavanna, RB, Muhlenberg
- Week 5: Josiah Jordan, RB, Berks Catholic
- Week 6: Ruben Rodriguez, WR, Reading High
- Week 7: Cam Jones, RB/KR, Wilson
- Week 8: Dominic Giuffre, RB, Schuylkill Valley
- Week 9: Leland Moore, RB, Hamburg
- Week 10: Cam Jones, RB/KR Wilson
- Week 11: Pierce Mason, RB, Hamburg
Players selected last season:
- Week 1: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 2: DeShawn Wilson, WR, Reading High
- Week 3: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 4: Logan Klitsch, QB, Conrad Weiser
- Week 5: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 6: Diohnny Ruiz, RB, Hamburg
- Week 7: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 8: Cameron Jones, KR, Wilson
- Week 9: Trey Freeman, WR, Twin Valley
- Week 10: Jadyn Jones, RB, Wilson
- Week 11: Logan Klitsch, QB, Conrad Weiser
- Week 12: Nick Singleton, RB, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 13: Eric Nangle, RB, Exeter
- Week 14: Colin Payne, Exeter
