The Program: A season with Oakwood football in 2026, part VIII
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 8—FITHIAN — An orange Gatorade cooler filled with cold water and soap provided several laughs on Tuesday evening for those associated with the Oakwood football program who were still on the grass surface at Marty McFarland Field.
With the sun out in full force on a pleasant day amid the first full week of October, Kyler Johnson would occasionally walk a few steps to the orange cooler and dunk a football in said cooler.
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The soapier, the better.
He would then either practice handing the ball off to fellow Oakwood running backs Frankie Resendez or Weston Frazier, or receive hand-offs himself from Oakwood assistant coach Nick Grubb.
With Oakwood coach Cameron Lee a few yards away, trying to fufill his best Charles Tillman impression and knock the slippery football out of his players' hands.
"Any chance we get to have some cold water out here and mix it with some soap, it's pretty fun," Johnson said with a grin a few minutes after he completed this part of practice. "We need to work on our ball security, and that drill is one that definitely will help."
Johnson is used to having a football in his hands. And has for the last three seasons. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior has become a consistent, durable contributor in the Comets' backfield since 2024. Even if he's still coming to grips that his final season playing football at Oakwood is starting to wind down.
"It's starting to hit me that we're heading into Week 8," Johnson said. "I only have three guaranteed games left."
Oakwood (4-3, 3-2 Vermilion Valley Conference) clinched a playoff berth with last Friday night's impressive 31-16 nonconference win against previously unbeaten Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond.
That Johnson had a big part in the result that ended a three-game losing skid for the Comets wasn't exactly a surprise. Because how much longer his high school football career continues will depend significantly on what Johnson does when he has the football in his hands.
Which, for the last three seasons, has featured plenty of production.
Johnson has rushed for 1,039 yards on 141 carries and 11 touchdowns this season. This is after he rushed for 1,181 yards on 159 carries and 15 touchdowns during his junior season and after he rushed for 979 yards on 179 carries and 18 touchdowns during his sophomore season.
He enters Friday night's VVC game at Iroquois West (1-6, 1-5 VVC) with 3,199 career rushing yards and 44 career rushing touchdowns. Johnson ranks fifth in Oakwood history in rushing yards, only behind Ryan Strange (4,301 yards from 2009-11), Colby Smiley (3,948 yards from 2016-19), Skylar Bolton (3,520 yards from 2014-17) and Mike Hyatt (3,231 yards from 1994-97), and is third in rushing touchdowns. Only Strange (48) and Smiley (45) have found the end zone more while wearing an Oakwood uniform.
What makes Johnson such a dynamic running back?
"Honestly, beyond just the physical tools, it's as much his personality as anything," Lee said. "For someone who is as talented as he is, who carries such a load on our offense and our defense, he has no ego. He doesn't get frustrated about his stats. Early in the season, everybody was seemingly getting touchdowns but Kyler. He never once complained. With Kyler, we know what to expect."
And that's consistency. Of the 27 games he has played for the Comets since becoming their starting running back before the 2024 season, he has rushed for at least 100 yards in 16 games. That includes a streak of six straight during his senior season after he almost hit the 100-yard mark in the Comets' season-opening 61-14 win at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin when he finished with 98 rushing yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.
Johnson is fresh off a career-high 234 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns during last Friday night's win against ALAH.
"You learn a lot from Kyler just by watching him," said Frazier, who has rushed for 196 yards on 20 carries and five touchdowns when he spells Johnson. "A lot of kids want to run the ball like him."
Count Resendez, who has rushed for 177 yards on 19 carries and four touchdowns this season, in that group. He and Frazier are both juniors this season and both back up Johnson. Next year, they'll likely become the primary options when Oakwood runs the ball. For now, they're trying to glean as much as they can during their final season with Johnson.
"He's good at everything he does," Resendez said. "Everybody accepts him. I love every second I get with him on the field. He's fun to play with. The hard work and dedication he puts into every season is unmatched."
The mark Johnson has left on Oakwood football is noteworthy. Especially since he didn't start playing football until he was in eighth grade.
"His freshman year, he was a very strong kid that didn't have a ton of football acumen," Lee said. "That kind of showed in his personality. He worked hard to do the right things, but didn't have much to say. Over time, over years, over reps, he's gotten more comfortable in his own skin. Now, he's got things to say and opinions to express. He's one of the leaders of this team."
Despite his limited football experience, Johnson saw the field at linebacker for the Comets during his freshman season in 2023 and has started on both sides of the ball since 2024. Meaning he rarely comes off the field on Friday nights.
"I do get tired sometimes, but being able to have the right nutrition and the right mindset to be able to take all those carries and continue to go is key," Johnson said. "You have to continue showing up to practice. Continue lifting weights. Continue eating well. You want to maximize your nutrition and the energy you put on the field and how much it takes out of you."
The Comets will need that energy moving forward. Oakwood is back in the playoffs for the third straight season, but about all that is missing from Johnson's accomplished high school career is a playoff win.
Two straight first-round exits have motivated he and his fellow teammates to not have that same feeling again this fall when the Class 1A playoff bracket is unveiled the night of Oct. 17.
And if Oakwood is able to earn its first playoff victory since 2019, chances are Johnson will have his hands all over the outcome.
Lee has called Johnson the metronome of the Comets' spread offense, keeping it in rhythm and on schedule. Much of Oakwood's offense is predicated on run-pass option plays, but it seemingly is always a good option when Johnson has the ball tucked firmly in his arms about ready to break through the line of scrimmage for another positive run.
Even with plenty of soap lathered on, like it was on Tuesday evening.
"I have had a big problem fumbling the ball, but Kyler's been helping me get it together," Resendez said. "He is here to help everyone on the team. He does his best with everybody and has patience with everybody. He's the ultimate teammate."