Riley Johnston just continued to smile.
He also continued to defer credit after Hobart’s 21-20 win Friday night at LaPorte.
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“I’m just a sophomore,” Johnston said.
A sophomore quarterback who completed 10 of 18 passes for 88 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. He also rushed for 76 yards and a TD on 14 carries.
Coach Craig Osika was impressed with Johnston, a state qualifier in the pole vault as a freshman who secured the quarterback job entering the season.
Johnston was more comfortable in his second start after throwing for 56 yards in the Brickies’ 10-9 win against Chesterton in the season opener.
“Riley played great,” Osika said. “He grew up (Friday night), and you saw that with some of the poise and some of the decisions he made.”
Hobart (2-0) grabbed a 21-14 lead in the third quarter with 2:05 left when Johnston connected with classmate Zach Vode for a 14-yard TD.
“My coach told me ahead of time it was going to be wide open,” Johnston said. “Zach’s been my best friend since I was little, so I knew he was going to go up and get it.”
Johnston broke free for a 53-yard TD with 10:37 left in the first half to open the scoring.
“I had the biggest hole in the world,” Johnston said. “I just had to run hard, run fast. Our line did a great job.”
LaPorte (0-2) drove as far as Hobart’s 27 as time expired. The Slicers closed within 21-20 with 6:46 left when Caleb Kirkham hit Isaac Alexander for a 70-yard TD before they missed the extra point.
“Two one-point wins in a row — I don’t know if I can take much more,” Osika said. “But wins are too hard to come by not to enjoy. To come out against two Duneland (Athletic Conference) schools and be 2-0, we’re really happy.”
Drake Recio had a momentum-shifting 16-yard fumble return for a TD to tie the score at 14-14. It was his second recovery. Hobart had three.
“We had a great team effort,” Johnston said. “That was a fun game.”
Mickey Oswald ran for 113 yards on 18 carries for LaPorte and scored two TDs, including a 43-yarder. Caleb Kuzdas added 110 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Slicers coach Dave Sharpe was asked about the message to his team.
“Don’t internalize the anger and go beat Valpo (next week),” he said.