West Michigan football fans have been well aware of Reeths-Puffer’s Brody Johnson for two years.
Now some people in southeast Michigan are very familiar with him, too.
Johnson, a senior running back who gained more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two varsity seasons, broke loose for a career night on Thursday, gaining 210 yards and scoring five touchdowns in the Rockets’ impressive 34-18 road trip victory over Farmington.
The Rockets, who beat Grand Haven 41-13 last week, improved to 2-0 heading into next week’s early season showdown against conference rival Mona Shores.
R-P's Brody Johnson breaks loose for one of many long runs. Photo/Joe Lane
Johnson scored all of the Rockets’ touchdowns – two in the first quarter, one in the second and two more in third – and drew high praise from R-P head coach Cody Kater.
“Guys were bouncing off of him, and he was picking up speed and strength as the game went on,” Kater said. “I think the guys on Farmington will remember Brody, maybe for the rest of their lives.”
Johnson was not the only offensive hero.
Senior Bryce Ross, usually a starting slot receiver, filled in for banged up starting quarterback Antrel Jones and ran the offense well.
He had several big runs and completed a number of key passes for 203 yards to keep the R-P offense rolling down the field.
R-P quarterback Bryce Ross (2) looks for running room. Photo/Joe Lane
“Bryce did a great job of stepping in and manufacturing some plays with his own capabilities,” said Kater, who added that Ross has not played quarterback since the sixth grade. “It was nice for him and for the confidence of the team. They saw that the ‘next man mentality’ is something that we are able to perform.”
Johnson, Ross and the Rockets came out flying in the first half, scoring on their first three possessions.
They took the opening drive 59 yards, sparked by a 36-yard pass from Ross to Johnson.
Johnson capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run with 8:40 left in the first quarter.
Reeths-Puffer cashed in again on its next possession when Johnson scored from 11 yards out with 5:40 left in the first quarter.
Photo/Joe Lane
The Rockets repeated the feat the third time they got the ball, covering 81 yards for another TD.
The drive featured two big passes from Ross - 41 yards to Kameron Coleman and 20 yards to Travis Ambrose - and ended with a three-yard scoring run by Johnson with 10:46 left in the second quarter.
The R-P defense was very strong in the first half, forcing Farmington to punt twice and stuffing the Falcons twice on fourth down.
Farmington finally got on the scoreboard with 2:28 left in the first half on an 11-yard touchdown pass.
The Falcons had a golden opportunity to gain more ground late in the half when they intercepted a Ross pass and took possession at the R-P 18, but were stuffed on fourth down at the 14.
Photo/Joe Lane
Reeths-Puffer led 20-6 at halftime.
The third quarter started slowly, with each team turning the ball over on downs, but the Rockets took control of the game by scoring on their second possession.
Johnson sparked that drive with runs of 21 and 11 yards before breaking loose for a 30-yard touchdown with 6:10 left in the third.
He repeated that performance a few minutes later, gaining 18 yards on one run, then breaking free again for a 43-yard TD with 3:32 left in the third.
Ross added a two-point conversion run and R-P led 34-6.
Photo/Joe Lane
Farmington scored twice in the fourth quarter, with the last touchdown coming in the final few seconds of the game.
Kater said his team is experiencing a lot of nagging injuries right now, so to be able to travel across the state and gain a quality win against a team that was in the playoffs last season was significant.
“We are banged up across the board,” the coach said. “It was about that next man up and having character. We keep pounding those ideas home and the kids are buying into it.
“It’s about brotherhood and having an understanding of moments. It was a long trip and we had a lot of adversity, but we executed our plan. Being able to score on the first drive helped us open it up a bit and gain some confidence.”
