As hard as it may be to picture, Naperville North senior offensive lineman Jake Johnson was a hockey player until he got to high school.
“I started skating when I was 3 years old,” he said. “I played both defense and forward.”
Then Johnson tried football.
“I used to watch a lot of ‘Sunday Night Football,’” he said. “I just thought it was really fun to play. I was like, ‘I should try that,’ because I was a bigger guy.
“I played both in eighth grade, and I had more fun playing football, and then I quit hockey after that.”
Johnson soon became a problem for opponents on the gridiron instead. Just ask Naperville North senior linebacker John Lyons, who practices with the 6-foot, 275-pound Johnson.
“Here’s the thing — he’s a really big guy, but he can move,” Lyons said. “He’s very good with his hands. I can’t hand-fight against him. The way I have to beat him is with my speed, and if I don’t, it looks like I’m losing the rep.”
Defenders lose plenty of reps against Johnson, who is particularly effective in the running game for the Huskies (4-1).
“We run behind Jake Johnson,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “He’s got a low center of gravity, and he’s a really good athlete for a 285-pound kid, right? He moves well, and he does a lot of good stuff for us.”
Metea Valley was the latest opponent to learn that. The Mustangs loaded up to stop the run, but the Huskies rushed for 240 yards and four touchdowns to win 41-3 for their fourth straight victory.
“I felt like I played pretty well today,” Johnson said. “This victory came from communication throughout the whole O-line. That’s a huge part of our success is communication, but we also have to stay more disciplined throughout the game.”
That means eliminating dumb penalties and playing as a unit.
“Everyone has to be on the same page throughout the whole game,” Johnson said. “When they stack the box, it really helps a lot.”
Drendel has seen the results.
“Our O-line is starting to come together, and we’re starting to play better,” Drendel said. “People are trying to pack the box on us a little bit, and we’re still running the ball pretty well. We’re moving people.”
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Johnson knows how to move people. He’s also a standout wrestler who fell one victory short of qualifying for the state meet as a heavyweight last season.
What does it take to be a dominant offensive lineman?
“I would say by being the lower man, always playing to the echo of the whistle and always playing for the man beside me to my right and to my left,” Johnson said.
While Johnson knows going low is the best way to get leverage, he actually had never done it on that side of the ball until last season.
“Our O-line room depth was pretty light last year,” he said. “I used to play D-line actually, and they asked me to come over, and I’ve been right guard ever since.”
A two-year starter, Johnson found it challenging but rewarding.
“It’s definitely a lot harder to play O-line,” he said. “You’ve got to be smarter, know every single play, know what you’re doing.
“They’re both similar in the same amount of action, I would say, because you’re always doing something, not like a DB just sits back and sometimes they’ll get a play.”
It may be hard to play against Johnson, but doing so has helped Naperville North defenders such as Lyons.
“Jake is an awesome O-lineman for us,” Lyons said. “I really think being able to see him playing and playing against him in practice definitely makes me so much better.
“Just going against him makes me understand the run game, how to play against good O-lineman.”
At Naperville North, there is no better offensive lineman than Johnson.
“He’s an awesome captain for us,” Lyons said. “I think he’s the heart and soul of our O-line.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.