Noah Johnson leads Carroll through injury-plagued season into 5A semifinals

Bishop Carroll senior Noah Johnson walked to midfield for the coin toss before the Eagles’ Class 5A quarterfinal last week with three fellow captains.

Johnson was the only one in uniform.

Teammnates Will Honas and Christopher Dugan had their seasons ended by anterior cruciate ligament tears, while Jake Allen suffered a concussion in a first-round game.

“It was just me (in uniform), and it’s just like, ‘Wow, this is really all we’ve been through as a team,’ ” Johnson said.

Carroll (10-1) plays Eisenhower (7-4) at Goddard High in the 5A semifinals at 7 Friday night.

Carroll won the 2014 Class 5A title with an unbeaten record, and Johnson was one of two offensive returning starters.

The expectations surrounding Johnson (6-foot-2, 280 pounds) in the preseason were that, as a three-year starter, he would lead not only the offensive line but the rest of the offense. His leadership was established, having been voted a captain as a junior, which coach Alan Schuckman called unprecedented for an offensive lineman.

Johnson plays with a ferocity that seems at odds with his position.

“Noah’s probably a defensive lineman in an offensive lineman position,” Schuckman said. “… He’s so physical and nasty. If I had to draw up a skill set for an offensive lineman, I would draw up Noah Johnson. It’s his tenacity, physicality, strength, dominance and he understands the game, plus he’s a good technician.”

Johnson has scholarship offers from Liberty and Air Force.

“I play aggressive and I play mean,” Johnson said. “I want to take the attack to the defense. I want to bring the physicality. I want to bring the pain.… If you never stop until you hear the whistle, it really ticks off the defense.”

Johnson has been called on for more than his skill and offensive leadership because of mounting injuries.

“The way this year has gone, he’s kind of the last man standing,” Carroll offensive coordinator Dusty Trail said. “He’s kind of taken up the slack from a leadership standpoint for the entire team. He’s tremendously important to this team as a whole. He’s a great leader.”

Johnson has that innate ability, his coaches say, to know the right thing to say or do no matter the situation.

“Some kids try to be leaders and they don’t have the personality for it,” Schuckman said. “He’s just got it. He was born with it.… He leads by enthusiasm, passion. He’s excited. He does it the right way. He encourages. He’s the first guy to pat you on the butt and say, ‘Let’s get it next time.’ ”

If there’s a need to lighten the mood, Johnson elicits laughs with a quick joke. If he decides he needs to be fiery, that’s fine, too, and his teammates accept it.

“That’s a very special thing,” Trail said. “… Coaches, we can try to do that stuff for the guys, but it’s a lot less effective than it is coming from one of their own. It’s very special to have a guy like that. We’re lucky to have him.

“Noah is really everything to this year’s team. He’s willing to take on that role. He’s up for the challenge, especially this year with an increase in his role.”

Carroll opened the season with a loss to Northwest, the Grizzlies’ first win over Carroll since 2005. Honas suffered his season-ending injury during that game.

“We lose Will, we lose that game, I was ticked off,” Johnson said. “But I knew I couldn’t be down. They’ll look at me for leadership. So it was, ‘Let’s get back to work.’ ”

The injuries kept mounting — Dugan suffered his injury on Oct. 2 — but the Eagles continued to win.

Carroll has won 10 straight and is playing in its eighth semifinal game in 10 seasons. The Eagles have played in the title game four times, winning in 2012 and 2014.

When Allen suffered his concussion on Nov. 6, backup Cannon Lynch stepped in with 121 rushing yards and two touchdown runs.

“We’re thinking, ‘At least Cannon has a little bit of experience. We’ll be all right,’ ” Johnson said.

But an implosion seemed primed to occur when Lynch suffered a broken leg on the second play of the quarterfinals. Sophomore Braden Howell’s only reps prior to that moment came on the scout team.

“The coaches were telling the O-line it’s on us,” Johnson said. “I was telling the rest of the guys, ‘It’s on us. It doesn’t matter who’s back there taking snaps. It was up to us to create holes.’ That kid (Howell) was about as stone cold as he could be. No nerves with him.”

“The rest of the team responded well. I may be the last captain standing, but 92 other guys have my back, and I have their back. They want it as bad as I do.”

Behind the line, which includes Emilio Lopez, Kirk Murphy, Joe Harris and Levi Schoenberger, Howell led Carroll to the win.

Johnson’s goal is immediate: beat Eisenhower for a chance at another 5A title.

But never far from his mind are his injured teammates. He writes their numbers on tape he has affixed to wrist and his knee brace.

“I’ve got to play for them,” Johnson said. “Those guys are relying on me.”

So are the rest of the Eagles.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Noah Johnson leads Carroll through injury-plagued season into 5A semifinals."