Jesuit’s Johnson wants school INT record

Posted Nov 9, 2011 by Nick Williams

Updated Nov 9, 2011 at 09:41 AM

Every now and then at practice, Jesuit junior receiver/free safety Travis Johnson will tease defensive backs coach Evalio Harrell, the nephew of head coach James Harrell, about how he will break his school record for interceptions in a single season.

Harrell, who graduated from Jesuit in 2003, set a school record with nine interceptions his senior year. He had nine in the first nine games, but went cold in the playoffs as the Tigers reached the Class 3A state semifinals in 2002.

“I keep telling him he has only a few more days to keep the record,” Johnson said.

This season, Johnson, who played sparingly on defense last year, has seven interceptions despite not playing defense in the first two games.

“I just stay back there and play assignment football,” Johnson said. “I played (defense) a little in little league.”

“A few of them he let slip away,” said Harrell, who played at Duke. “I told him he could have had the record already.”

Johnson, who has 34 Division I offers, is the Tigers’ leading receiver with 522 yards and five touchdowns. He is hoping to tie or break the record tonight at rival Tampa Catholic, which has lost the last 11 games against the Tigers.

“It would be huge,” he said.

“I’m happy I’m able to coach the guy who breaks my record,” Harrell said.