WHAT WE SAW: CA Johnson 35, Ridge Spring-Monetta 12

Chris Dearing November 5, 2022 @ 08:35 AM

COLUMBIA | CA Johnson coach Scotty Dean's face lights up when the discussion turns to his group of upperclassmen for the Green Hornets.   There's a good reason for that as well. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1142538' first='Caleb' last='Pearson'] along with seniors Dawan Rice, Terrell Hopkins, Nigel Leake and Rafael McKinney all made something happen in the 35-12 win over Ridge Spring-Monetta in the opening round of the Class A playoffs.   “Again, (Rice) and (Pearson) got it going,” Dean said. "We get those going with (Terrell Hopkins), we like our chances. We didn't do everything perfectly, but the thing is we get the opportunity to work on it Monday. There's a lot of schools right now that's not where we are.”   “We have a glorified JV team with some upperclassmen that are pretty special.”   The fact that the core group of players rarely leave the field is also very special. Pearson doubles as the quarterback and a defensive back. Rice is the primary running back and can play linebacker, defensive end and even in the secondary if needed. Hopkins, Leake and McKinney are mainly wide receivers on offense and can play linebacker or edge rusher on defense.   Pearson showed off his running skills that has helped him lead the Green Hornets in rushing this season. Pearson scored all five CA Johnson touchdowns and finished with 146 yards on 19 carries. Pearson scored on runs of 10, 28, 10, 54, and 2 yards. His 54-yard scamper down the Trojans sideline early in the fourth quarter gave CA Johnson a comfortable 28-6 lead that basically sealed the deal.   Pearson scored the last three times he carried the ball.   Rice gained 110 yards on 17 carries, but his presence was felt more on the defensive side of things. He had four of the seven sacks by the Green Hornets and delivered several big hits. Hopkins, a North-South selection, Leake and McKinney also had big defensive stops that limited Ridge Spring-Monetta for the majority of the night.   The CAJ defense held the Trojans to 24 yards on the ground.   The Green Hornets have won playoff games in back-to-back seasons, a feat that Dean said he didn't know when that last happened to the school tucked into a neighborhood off Two Notch Road in downtown Columbia. They also have seven wins, a mark the program hasn't reached since the 2000's   “If you're going to build anything, you have to start somewhere,” Dean said. "That group of seniors last year laid the foundation on what we're trying to do. Every team starts the season with the goal of winning a state championship or a region championship and that's the direction we want to keep moving. A win here tonight means we get to keep building.”   The Trojans got two touchdown passes from junior James Bosket. He hit junior [player_tooltip player_id='208348' first='Tykeem' last='Martin'] for a 60-yard strike on the third offensive play of the game to give Ridge Spring-Monetta an early 6-0 lead. He later added a 34-yard TD pass to senior Ty Adams to close out the scoring.   Bosket, despite being under heavy pressure, finished 14-of-18 for 196 yards.

COLUMBIA | CA Johnson coach Scotty Dean's face lights up when the discussion turns to his group of upperclassmen for the Green Hornets.