YAIAA Boys' Athlete of the Year: This Division I recruit strove to play three sports

If you want to know how good Kenny Johnson is at football, just ask those who've coached him.

Or those who've coached against him.

"He's unbelievable," said York High coach Russ Stoner. "I can't give him enough accolades."

"Oh my god. That kid is game-changer," Dallastown defensive coordinator Paul Marick said. "He just brings energy to everyone around him."

"One of the best kids I've had in 35 years of coaching," York Suburban offensive coordinator Brian Marshall said. "He's a great teammate, a hard worker, just everything you could want in a player."

"You want to talk about a special young man," former Dallastown head coach Ron Miller said. "That kid is awesome. He brings our whole team up. He's an alpha."

You get the point.

During his junior year at Dallastown High School, Johnson dominated during football season and excelled in basketball and track and field. For that, he's been named GameTimePA's YAIAA Boys' Athlete of the Year for 2021-22 by York Daily Record staff.

Gettysburg senior Anne Bair was named GameTimePA's YAIAA Girls' Athlete of the Year.

The York Daily Record also released polls last week giving readers the chance to vote for their selections for Athletes of the Year. Susquehannock junior cross country and track runner Matthew O'Brien won the boys' fan vote and Susquehannock senior field hockey and lacrosse player Addison Roeder won the girls' fan vote.

More on Kenny Johnson: Here's why Dallastown's star receiver chose Pitt football over Penn State and others

Related: Only one team could win, but both of these NCAA Division I recruits shined Friday night

Getting out of his comfort zone

Johnson dealt with adversity before his junior year started.

A residency change forced him to transfer from York Suburban to Dallastown in August ― about a week before his new team's first game.

Already a budding Division I recruit, Johnson had no trouble adapting to a new school and new competition against bigger schools in YAIAA Division I.

He caught 46 passes for 852 yards and seven touchdowns while facing almost constant double-coverage. He also was a dynamic playmaker on defense ― registering 41 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries as a linebacker-safety hybrid. He was an all-state selection by both Pennsylvania coaches and sports writers.

An October game against York High highlighted his overall brilliance. He caught eight catches for 192 yards despite having two or three defenders draped over him seemingly every player. He racked up multiple pass interference penalties as the Bearcats sometimes had no choice but to pull him to the ground while the ball was in the air. He also made six tackles and stripped York High superstar running back Jahiem White of the ball.

Still, Johnson tried to keep the attention off himself after the 36-20 loss.

"I want to win," he said. "I'd rather have zero yards and win the game than have the game I just had and lose."

Of course, Johnson was never going to be able to entirely escape attention. He racked up 16 Division I offers and verbally committing to the University of Pittsburgh in June.

In this era, many elite football recruits stick to just that sport ― especially as their recruitment heats up and their schedule is constantly filled with campus visits, everyday workouts and offseason camps. Not Johnson. Previously a wrestler, he decided to switch to basketball and averaged three points and six rebounds per game at the varsity level in his first year playing the sport. Dallastown coach Mike Grassel said he usually guarded the other team's best scorer.

In the spring, he ran track and finished top six in the 100-meter dash, long jump and triple jump at the YAIAA championships. And he was part of Dallastown’s 400-meter relay that won a league gold medal and set a school record.

His explanation why he remained a three-sport athlete showed why many coaches love working with him.

"I feel if I'm working out and with a team and keeping my mind busy than I won't get comfortable," he said in June. "In wrestling I was pretty good and then switching to basketball, a first-year sport. Me having to be a role guy. Playing a different role than I'm used to really got me out of my comfort zone. I felt I needed to humble myself."

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: YAIAA Boys' Athlete of the Year: This Division I recruit strove to play three sports