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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
"He'll be a part of
us forever."
- Northside Head Football
Coach Conrad Nix
96TH
From page iB
The last three years of
Northside football were one
long tribute to Johnson, but
this past season the number
96 held even more meaning.
Johnson, who entered the
Eagle program as an aspir
ing freshman defensive end
in 2004, lost his battle with
leukemia during the summer
of 2007. This battle made
winners of all who knew and
supported him.
So instead of busting
through a pre-game banner
with a beautifully drawn
portrait of Johnson, the
Eagles went around it car
rying another framed photo
of Johnson in his Eagle
uniform. As senior fullback/
receiver Brandon Jordan
explained after the Eagles’
20-14 triumph against Ware
County in Friday’s champi
onship tilt, the plan was set
for the ultimate tribute.
“Before we left school,
we told everybody who was
going to come to the game
that when the fourth quar
ter comes, they had these
little cardboard things that
had 96 on them,” he said.
“When the fourth quarter
comes we are going to hold
them up knowing that Chris
still lives inside of us and
the whole entire Northside
family.” •
Knowing such an event is
going to happen, but then
actually seeing it transpire,
that’s just two different
emotions.
“It was better,” said
Jordan. “It was more than I
could imagine.”
“It felt spiritual,” said
junior linebacker Darius
Ivey, who had an intercep
tion in that 96th quarter.
“It was crazy,” said junior
defensive end Eric Fields.
“I think it might have
slipped my mind,” said
senior guard Will Zunino.
“When I saw it, it startled
me. It reminded me what I
was fighting for. We had to
win it for him, and thank
God we did it.”
“I was like, ‘lt’s crunch
time,”’ said senior running
back Tijuan Green, who had
the game-winning touch
down pass of 40 yards to
Nick Bass in that 96th quar
ter and caught a six-yard
touchdown pass in the sec
ond.
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Chris Johnson’s father, Ovie, gives a pep talk to Nick
Bass and Kevyn Cooper.
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W/x and Ware County’s coach meet in the middle for a
show of sportsmanship following the contest.
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The Eagles take a “walk around” approach to their banner.
The back-to-back state
championships - something
that’s never happened in
the history of high school
football in Warner Robins
or Houston County - that’s
an accolade well worth the
wait for veteran head coach
Conrad Nix.
“It’s just two times bet
ter,” said Jordan. “We’ve put
in work ever since January.
We just had to come out
here and do what we were
supposed to do, what we
were doing all season, which
was the defense stopping
other people and the offense
throwing the ball and scor
ing points. We knew we were
going to prevail.”
“We did this one for Chris,”
said Green. “We never gave
up on our hopes.”
“We put our heart and
soul into this season,” said
Zunino. “We had Chris up
there looking after us, so it
was especially for him. He
couldn’t be here, but we all
had him in mind when we
won it.”
“We knew we could do
it,” said Fields, retracting
a statement just seconds
before about how they
thought they could do it.
“We looked up and we saw
Chris. We had to do it for
Chris.”
“He’ll be a part of us for
ever,” said Nix.
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Two cheerleaders hug, the memory of Johnson obviously still fresh on their hearts and minds.
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