Paris Johnson talks big comeback win
Friday night was a must win game for the Cincinnati (Ohio) Princeton football team. The Vikings trailed conference rival Lakota East 21-7 heading into the fourth quarter, but the offense finally got rolling, putting up three late scores behind some excellent blocking by five-star offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. to steal one late with a 28-24 victory.
After a couple of close losses to Colerain and Sycamore, the win gets Princeton back in the playoff picture. Johnson knew what a tough spot the Vikings would be in with a loss on Friday and relayed that message to his team during the game.
"At this point, to get to where we want to go, I feel like we have to win out," said Johnson after the game. "It was really our mindset (that changed). If we want next week to matter, we've got to win this game. I've never played a 10-game season, so why start now? That was my thing. I'm playing at the next level but I don't want to move on like this and I told some of our guys, if we don't start playing better, these will be your last ten games."
One of the crown jewels of Ohio State's highly regarded 2020 recruiting class, Johnson has already been up to Columbus a couple of times this fall for games. The Buckeyes are rolling right now at 5-0 and Johnson sees a title contender when he watches the games.
"It has been incredible, really," Johnson stated. "They look unstoppable right now. I'm really excited about the way they are looking right now. If they keep playing the way they're playing, they are one-hundred percent a playoff team and it could come down to them and a team like Alabama or Clemson (for the championship)."
Johnson has added a new wrinkle this fall. At times he has flipped over to the right side as an extra blocker and that has added another dimension to his game in terms of the versatility he can bring to a roster. It's unclear just how many offensive tackles Ohio State will lose after this season, but it could be as many as three off of the two-deep, depending on what junior Thayer Munford decides.
With that in mind, Johnson and the Buckeyes are preparing as though he'll need to help them in 2020.
"They've always told me that they want me to be ready (to compete for a spot)," Johnson said. "So that has been my mindset and just the work I've been putting in, makes me more comfortable about that. I definitely want to get myself ready to go from the start."