Johnson stifles Brandeis in pivotal third quarter to stay perfect on the year

Tyler Willis just barely missed a tackle, but he was still in the right spot to make a play.

The Johnson linebacker chased after Brandeis quarterback Wynter Smith on a third-and-four, but was unable to hunt the dual-threat down. However, as another Johnson defender was able to strip the ball from Smith, Willis was in the perfect place to make the recovery.

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“I was right there to just get the ball, and that’s how it happened,” Willis said.

Willis’ fumble recovery led to a score that capped off a pivotal third quarter for Johnson, as the No. 1 Jaguars ultimately downed the Brandeis Broncos, 38-25, at Comalander Stadium on Friday night to move to 4-0 on the season.

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“I’m super proud of our defense for being able to stop this team,” Willis said.

The Johnson linebacker added the defense zeroed in on Smith.

“We were able to close him into the gaps, just make him have to try and run up the middle and stop him every single time,” Willis said. “I’m just super proud of our guys.”

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While Johnson took an early lead on Brandeis in the first half, the Broncos had the momentum heading into the break. Brandeis defensive back and Texas A&M commit Hakim Frampton intercepted Johnson quarterback Elvis Estrada with 11 seconds until halftime. The following Brandeis drive started on Johnson’s 28-yard line, and the Broncos were able to get themselves into field goal range. A 38-yard kick by Brandeis senior kicker Zach Cantu tied the game at 17-17 to end the first half.

Johnson, which opened the second half on offense, was determined to retake the lead and turned to its ground game.

“I feel like we’re the best in the city, and I feel like other people think that too,” Jaguars junior running back Jeremiah Johnson said. “So, we had to come out very strongly and prove that.”

Johnson punched in a 4-yard rushing touchdown on the Jaguars’ first drive of the third quarter. And after Willis’ fumble recovery, senior running back Noah Cartwright found the end zone on a 6-yard rushing touchdown.

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The two running backs accounted for the bulk of the Jaguars’ yardage, with Johnson rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns and Cartwright running for 89 yards and one score.

“We’re able to just out-physical teams,” Cartwright said of him and Johnson. “That’s our main dominating point – physicality.”

Estrada tossed two touchdowns in the first half, with the longest one coming in at 50-yards, both to senior wide receiver Colin Cragun. But the Jaguars’ final three scores of the night came off of runs from either Johnson or Cartwright.

“Once we’re physical, they can’t do much after that and that just makes it really easy on the run game,” Cartwright said.

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The Jaguars continue District 28-6A play next Thursday against Roosevelt at Heroes Stadium. Brandeis, which is now 2-3 and 0-2 in district, will be back at Comalander to take on Churchill that same night.

Johnson has won 22 consecutive district games, with its last league loss in September of 2024.

“What we preach is that our goals and aspirations are beyond just district,” Cartwright said. “We want to go win state.”

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This article originally published at Johnson stifles Brandeis in pivotal third quarter to stay perfect on the year.