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McDonald’s Johnson caps prep career with state title
By ERIC MAUK
HEBRON
Sporting a bright red headband, McDonald senior Bobby Johnson isn’t usually hard to pick out of a crowd of cross country runners.
But at Saturday’s OHSAA state cross country championships, Johnson was easier to spot than normal as he ran most of the day’s 5,000 meters at the head of the pack, besting the field by 20 seconds to win his first state title.
“It was definitely surreal and it’s hard to grasp what I’ve accomplished right now,” Johnson said. “It’s something I have trained and worked hard for every day and to go out and have it come together like this is really great.”
Johnson easily brushed aside a challenge from Seneca East’s Jared Stockmaster in the first 1,000 meters, and by the time the race was a third of the way done, it was as good as over.
“I had it planned to go out at the (one) mile mark and really push from there,” Johnson said. “I knew there would be some tough competition and when I hit the first mile I knew I had to go, so I just put my head down and went.”
That push provided a nice cushion for the senior, who showed head coach Chris Rupe he had things under control by the time they saw each other at the halfway mark of the event.
“I was with him at the one-and-a-half mile mark and I had told him before the race to go out and have some fun. Make sure you enjoy the moment,” Rupe said. “When I saw him at that moment in the race, you could see he was in control, and to see such a big smile on his face, it was great.”
The final stretch leading to the finish line on the Hebron course runs alongside the dragstrip of National Trail Raceway, and Johnson hit that corner like a nitro-breathing dragster running against a field of Toyota Corollas. The wide lead gave Johnson a chance to enjoy the final 400 meters of his high school career as he tripped the timing lights more than 20 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
“At that point I knew where I was and I just started thinking that this was it. This was the last run of my career,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to go hard, finish strong and enjoy the moment.”
For Johnson’s coach, the run wasn’t just the culmination of a great day, it was a fitting end of a high school career that had been carefully constructed and diligently pursued by the first Blue Devil to win an individual state title since Stuart Henderson in 1989.
“I have never seen someone dedicate themselves the way Bobby has, and that’s not something I say lightly,” Rupe said. “Everything from his training, the way he took care of himself and his diet, all set the stage for what he was able to do today.”