Nederland's Johnson...

[PNG Proud]

...Makes 1st team ALL STATE!, but can only make it on Bmt Ent.'s SECOND TEAM DEFENSE!  What a freaking joke!  This proves how determined the rag is to NOT pick MC people.

Congratulations Dravannti!

http://www.panews.com/sports/local_story_354093423.html

[footballfan5261]

does that make the entire 22-4a district against MC people too?? he was only 2nd team all district.......

[VP]

CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. JOHNSON!

Job well done and well deserved.  I like seeing locals making ALL-STATE!  My dad did

it in his glory days......1956-60!

[ozensfinest]

does that make the entire 22-4a district against MC people too?? he was only 2nd team all district.......

dats how u kno the all district picks n da all state picks were a bunch of BS

[bullets13]

i didn't really see much of johnson's play this year, but i do know this... all-district picks are often politically influenced, so that may explain the disparity here.  also, all-state picks are made mostly on stats, especially if a team doesn't go deep into the playoffs, so they may not have seen him play at all.  i dunno, kinda strange how things work out.

[Pimp Smack]

HAHA!! My point is proven. All district picks are done by COACHES!! People who saw him play and decided he wasnt good enough for first team or defensive MVP. All-State on the other hand looks at the hype and the colleges the players are going to. Stats are a small factor when choosing the all-state team. Thats why DJ made 1st team all-state.  Unless you just have jaw dropping stats you dont have a hance for 1st team all-state.

[bullets13]

HAHA!! My point is proven. All district picks are done by COACHES!! People who saw him play and decided he wasnt good enough for first team or defensive MVP. All-State on the other hand looks at the hype and the colleges the players are going to. Stats are a small factor when choosing the all-state team. Thats why DJ made 1st team all-state.  Unless you just have jaw dropping stats you dont have a hance for 1st team all-state.

i think you're point is somewhat proven.  you're neglecting the fact that these coaches have every reason to bargain for their own players, and bring in politics when it suits them.  i can't say anything about mr. johnson's situation, because i don't know enough about him.  but it could also be argued that when he was taken out of a situation where the coaches were playing favorites and bargaining for their own players, he was given a much higher honor based on his ability, rather than what his coach was able to work out for him.  i'm also confused about another thing... if he's not even good enough to be considered a top-level defensive player in the district, why is an elite college such as texas  so interested in him?  again, i don't know much about his season, and i am only trying to bring up discussion points.  something doesn't add up somewhere.  i do recall my senior year of high school where a defensive back on our team was only chosen as an honorable mention pick for all district, while the coach's son was a unanimous first teamer at the same position.  not only was the the coaches son the lesser player, but the honorable mention player made 1st team all state (probably a direct result of leading the entire state in interceptions for 3A football). 

[WTB]

well I saw D. Johnson play alot this season and I was under welmed. He didnt make many plays and I noticed that when his stats came out that he only had 4 Tackles for Loss and 4 sacks. Considering Winbush from LCM had 10 sacks. Ward from Lumberton had 19 Tackles for Loss then I just dont see DJ being better than them or others. plus Nederlands Defense wasnt very good all year. So how do u give a guy 1st all-state and Defensive MVP whenever his defense couldnt stop anyone and his stats are underwelming. And the reason why Texas offered and signed him is bc hes 6'3" 230 runs well for that size and is a good athlete and they think they can work with him and maybe make him a player. They're was thread about Hussy and Johnson and who you would rather have. Well if your building a HS football team Hussy by far bc he is a much better football player but if your a college recruiter then Johnson is gonna catch your eye first just bc of his size. Does that mean hes gonna be successful? no but he has more potential and thats what colleges look for bc if he doesnt pan out then they will go find someone else

[BearWolf]

well I saw D. Johnson play alot this season and I was under welmed. He didnt make many plays and I noticed that when his stats came out that he only had 4 Tackles for Loss and 4 sacks. Considering Winbush from LCM had 10 sacks. Ward from Lumberton had 19 Tackles for Loss then I just dont see DJ being better than them or others. plus Nederlands Defense wasnt very good all year. So how do u give a guy from 1st all-state and Defensive MVP whenever his defense couldnt stop anyone and his stats are underwelming. And the reason why Texas offered and signed him is bc hes 6'3" 230 runs well for that size and is a good athlete and they think they can work with him and maybe make him a player. They're was thread about Hussy and Johnson and who you would rather have. Well if your building a HS football team Hussy by far bc he is a much better football player but if your a college recruiter then Johnson is gonna catch your eye first just bc of his size. Does that mean hes gonna be successful? no but he has more potential and thats what colleges look for bc if he doesnt pan out then they will go find someone else

the big colleges always look for the measurements. Well said

[bullets13]

sounds reasonable... like i said, i didn't see much of the kid, so i'm glad to hear some opinions.  the whole of it is that there are always going to be inconsistencies when it comes to all-district and all-state, and this is a perfect example of that.

[MikeEast]

sounds reasonable... like i said, i didn't see much of the kid, so i'm glad to hear some opinions.  the whole of it is that there are always going to be inconsistencies when it comes to all-district and all-state, and this is a perfect example of that.

I have been watching DJ play for years and I know that he did not show anywhere near the intensity or have anywhere near the impact that he had in years past. Based on that, I guess since he is not a high school student anymore I can say that I did not think that his performance on the field rated All District much less All State honors. However, this kid is one heck of an athlete and is big, stong, and fast. He looks and moves like a D1 player when he wants to. Now, I am strictly making an assumption here but I have wondered several times this past year if perhaps since he already knew that he was going to UT as long as he stayed healthy. I wondered if he might have been holding back just to make sure that he got there healthy and secured his future with UT. He had a partially separated shoulder late in the season that most people did not know about.

Something else, we are not talking about a good athlete with decent grades. We are talking about an exceptional student athlete with the entire package. Attitude, athletic ability and exceptional grades. As has already been noted, he is no longer even a  high school student. He only stayed long enough to finish the season and then he took his credits and went on to get started with his college education at UT. 

[PNG Proud]

Oh Really?  He's already gone to UT?  I didn't know they could do that.

[Guest abovetherim]

I'd like to know these measurements myself for a 6-3, 220 pound LB. 40 time, 20 time, shuddle time, bench press, squat, how many times can he press 225? Anyone able to provide these?

Yes, if he has the credits to graduate early he can enroll at UT in the spring semester.

[BearWolf]

that's very common now. The kid from Ozen did the same last year.

[MikeEast]

Oh Really?  He's already gone to UT?  I didn't know they could do that.

I am pretty sure that they can . My understanding is he will start the spring semester at UT. My daughter is a senior and is friends with DJ. He is not the only one that I know of from this year at NHS that has done the same. I know there are a couple of their other classmates that have already attained enough credits to leave high school and have gone on to college.

[Bucster]

Oh Really?  He's already gone to UT?  I didn't know they could do that.

It's pretty common for athletes to graduate from HS in December and attend college in the spring semester. It gives them a leg up on their fellow recruits by participating in spring football drills.

[Guest tigersvoice]

It's pretty common for athletes to graduate from HS in December and attend college in the spring semester. It gives them a leg up on their fellow recruits by participating in spring football drills.

It also gets the student acclimated to the scholastic requirements BEFORE they are thrust into the distorted schedules that most student-athletes have during their spot season.  College is hard enough and I would guess that the majority of students now do not achieve that first degree in the four year plan that is laid out in the degree plan catolog.  By going to classes before the time drain of their athletic schedule they are better prepared to handle classes in season.