Thomasville's Johnson leads All-County offense

Fri. December 16, 2011 at 11:11 p.m. | By Mike Duprez

Big things happened when Thomasville’s Shaquan Johnson got the football in his hands. And he got it a lot.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior tailback led the state in rushing with 3,145 yards and 40 total touchdowns — 36 rushing, three receiving and one kickoff return. Johnson carried the ball a whopping 461 times, an average of 30.7 times a game, and his workload increased later in the season as the Bulldogs advanced all the way to the 2-A state semifinals.

Johnson, who was the focal point of his team’s offense, ran with both power and breakaway speed. His footwork was at another level altogether for a player in his first year as a running back. Johnson had been a wide receiver prior to his senior year. Always solid, Johnson was often spectacular. He even played with a high ankle sprain in the playoffs.

In recognition of his outstanding season, Johnson is the 2011 Dispatch All-Davidson County Offensive Player of the Year.

Thomasville offensive coordinator Dickie Cline is quite familiar with high level running backs. Two of his star running backs at Ledford — Brad Hoover and Madison Hedgecock — made it all the way to the NFL. Johnson isn’t the brutish fullback type like Hoover and Hedgecock, but he proved he could do it all.

“When you look at Quanny, you’d think he was a just a finesse back,” Cline said. “But actually he’s kind of a combination of all of it. He’s got great body control, which allows him to be a physical runner as well as a finesse runner. When he gets out in space, he can make you miss. That’s a great combination to have in a running back.”

Johnson rushed for a school single-game record 381 yards in the first round of the state playoffs against Surry Central, he caught a game-winning 80-yard touchdown pass against Salisbury, and he ran 77 yards for a touchdown and returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown against 4-A Davie County.

One play may have said it all about Johnson, a 52-yard touchdown run against Surry Central in which Johnson, despite the ankle injury, made a spectacular cut that had a defender reaching for air.

“He could come to a stop and re-accelerate, which is a quality seen in a lot of good running backs,” Cline said.

And there’s the intangible of playing while hurt in the playoffs. Johnson often limped between plays but still had enough when his number was called until finally running out of gas in Thomasville’s 26-0 loss to Lincolnton in the semifinals.

“That just shows you how mentally tough he is,” Cline said.

Here is a look at the rest of the 2011 All-County team:

Shakeem Peterson, sophomore, quarterback, Thomasville — Pressed into duty when the starter went down with a season-ending injury, Peterson went on to lead the county with a 133.9 passer rating. He threw for 1,084 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Most importantly, Peterson managed the game well, and several of his touchdown passes were clutch throws.

Marquez Grayson, junior, running back, Lexington — Already with offers from several ACC schools as well as South Carolina, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Grayson rushed for 1,093 yards and 17 touchdowns while catching 16 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown. A strong runner with speed, Grayson was a threat to score any time he touched the ball.

Saig Skeen, junior, running back, Central Davidson — A powerful 5-foot-11, 220-pounder, Skeen rushed for 1,707 yards and 23 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards a carry. In addition to many tackle-breaking runs, Skeen displayed breakaway speed on many occasions.

De Greene, senior, running back, Ledford — Compact at 5-foot-6, 180 pounds but extremely strong — he broke Hedgecock’s school record in the squat — Greene rushed for 2,047 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Sharaun Mouzone, senior, wide receiver, Thomasville — Mouzone led the Bulldogs with 22 catches for 420 yards and was a big-play option for the run-oriented Bulldogs. Mouzone averaged 19.1 yards per catch and was an excellent blocker.

Charles Brunson, senior, wide receiver, North Davidson — The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder led the county with 51 catches for 581 yards and four touchdowns. He was an integral factor in the Black Knights’ offense. He also rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns while seeing action at running back and quarterback.

Dylan Sluder, senior, offensive lineman, Central Davidson — Extremely powerful, the 6-foot-2, 320-pound Sluder helped anchor a rushing attack that piled up 4,499 total yards — 7.75 yards per carry — and 51 touchdowns.

Jake Comer, junior, offensive lineman, Central Davidson — Another vital cog in the Spartans’ superb running attack, the 6-foot, 235-pound Comer was an excellent compliment to Sluder.

Frank Ingram, junior, offensive lineman, Thomasville — The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Ingram was a strong blocker for a team that was among the state’s best at running the football.

Jordan Hagens, senior, offensive lineman, Thomasville — A powerful blocker, the 6-foot, 250-pound Hagens often paved the way for Johnson’s big runs.

Sam Henderson, senior, offensive lineman, Ledford — Henderson anchored a line that produced a 2,000-yard rusher.

Chase Mitchell, junior, punter, North Davidson — The 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior, who was also the Black Knights’ quarterback, averaged 34.5 yards a kick. That included 14 punts inside the 20-yard line and six inside the 10-yard-line.

Spencer Landfried, junior, placekicker, North Davidson — The 5-foot-9, 170-pound junior was 29-for-30 on extra points and 10-for-15 on field goals, including two from 42 yards. Landfried, who was Central Piedmont Conference kicker of the year, had six touchbacks on kickoffs.

Honorable mention: Josh Wright, Central Davidson; Jake Smith, Central Davidson; Matt Meadows, Central Davidson; C.J, Woodberry, Lexington; Damian Johnson, Lexington; Matthew Bryant, South Davidson; Eric Connolly, Ledford; Ryan Trudniak, Ledford; Lawrence Phillips, Thomasville, Ryan Broadie, Thomasville.

Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.