Johnson leads Fairmont Prep to victory

CERRITOS - Next, maybe Richard Johnson could learn how to throw passes to himself.

Fairmont Prep’s senior running back/wide receiver/linebacker/safety/return man/punter outgained opposing Sage Hill by himself Saturday.

He rushed for 96 yards, caught five passes for 108 yards and scored four touchdowns in the Huskies’ 41-6 season-opening victory at Valley Christian High.

Johnson turned a pair of short receptions into touchdowns of 53 and 35 yards, and he took a second-quarter draw play 43 yards for his first score.

Fairmont coach Bobby Mendoza’s approach to getting Johnson the ball: “As many ways as you can, in almost any situation. … Any team in our division is going to be hard-pressed to match up against him.”

The game ended with the ball in Johnson’s hands, as he grabbed his second interception and nearly returned it into the end zone.

As the Huskies prepared to meet Sage Hill at midfield for the postgame handshake, Johnson yelled to his teammates, “Show some class! Let’s go!”

“We have a lot of rookies out there,” Johnson said. “It’s my senior year. Time for me to step up.”

He helped set up Fairmont’s first score without touching the ball, when he sold the receiving half of a short pump fake.

That freed teammate David Jocson downfield for a 22-yard reception to the Lightning 18.

“It gives confidence to the other players to have him around,” Mendoza said.

Sage Hill, which lost three of its eight fumbles, did not score until the middle of the third, on an 11-yard run by Craig Jackson. Taylor Ross led the Lightning with 44 yards on 12 carries.

Fairmont junior quarterback Kevin Wagner threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 8-of-11 passing.

See full game stats

Contact the writer: jkay@ocregister.com