A year of growth shows for Johnson, Penn Wood in rout of Souderton

YEADON >> Desman Johnson Jr. knows he and his Penn Wood teammates are not going to surprise any of their opponents.

Last season, the Del Val League champions boasted an explosive offense capable of scoring at will. Despite losing wideout Rahiem Bowens, now at Maine, the Patriots returned a plethora of weapons for Johnson to sling the ball to and keep a defense off-balance. In their season opener, the Patriots displayed their offensive prowess and showed how dangerous they can be.

Behind Johnson’s 214 passing yards and four total touchdowns, Penn Wood scored 30 second-half points and never looked back on its way to 42-10 victory over Souderton.

With Bowens gone, Johnson’s top target is senior receiver Kennedy Poles, who caught Johnson’s first touchdown pass on a 45-yard hookup. What was impressive was the rapport the two have already built. The junior signal caller pointed toward the end zone and the receiver did the rest.

Johnson’s showcased his improved footwork on that play by avoiding two tacklers and rolling to his left before letting the ball fly. The second-year starter feels he’s made great strides as a passer.

“Last year I wasn’t the best at reading (defense) or with my footwork,” Johnson said. “Now, I’m able to read the defense and I don’t have to hold back from running the ball. That’s a double threat.”

Poles, who had two catches for 63 yards, also scored on a one-yard scamper in the third quarter. Johnson found Brian Parker Jr. on a 40-yard score early in the fourth. He also hit Anauri Hankey five times for 66 yards. Penn Wood head coach Ato Troop joked about the number of options his offense can put out there.

“I’m spoiled,” Troop said. “We want to spread the ball around. I know Kennedy is going to be a big key for guys this year. We’re going to spread the ball around and make sure they have to defend everybody.”

Troop’s team came alive after intermission and at the right moment. Souderton attempted to climb back into the game as Andrew Vince found Deandre Wakefield on a 26-yard score midway through the third to cut Penn Wood’s lead to 10. The Patriots answered as Michael Dargan Jr. broke off a 47-yard touchdown run down the middle of the field.

Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher, whose team defeated the Patriots by 23 points a year ago, applauded the opposition for not making the same mistakes they had last season.

“You have to credit that team because Penn Wood turned the ball over a bunch of times last year and gave us opportunities to score,” Gallagher said. “They didn’t do that today. They took care of the ball and played really from in front. They took it to us today.”

Johnson and the offense were in rhythm for much of the second half. They totaled 218 rushing yards for the game and had three players run for at least 65 yards. The only time Johnson was limited was when he had to leave the game for two plays due to a sore right ankle. He said he’ll be fine for next week’s matchup against Pennsbury.