Hawken football: Dominic Johnson ties O.J. McDuffies record of 31 TDs in a season

Oct. 8—For Hawken's Dominic Johnson, the only thing better than setting a record is doing it with the previous record-holder in attendance to congratulate him.

Johnson scored four touchdowns in the Hawks' 48-14 win over visiting Beachwood on Oct. 7. That gives him 31 for the season, which ties him with Hawken legend O.J. McDuffie's 1988 record.

It was an honor to have @ojmcduffie81 with us tonight to celebrate Dominic Johnson who has officially tied his school record of 31 touchdowns in a season @hawkenfootball pic.twitter.com/VhqoBFuVhJ

— Hawks (@HawkenAthletics) October 8, 2022

Because it was Hawken's homecoming game, McDuffie and multiple other alumni were on hand for the win over Beachwood. So one of the first people to congratulate Johnson for scoring his 31st touchdown of the year was McDuffie, who lives in Florida.

"He said I deserve it," Johnson said. "I was there talking to a legend, face to face. He actually told me I was better than him. I'm like. 'No. .. No ... No ... Don't say that. There's no way.'

"O.J. is very special. He holds a very special place in this community. I'm seeking to do the same thing. He owns all the records here, so I want to break as many as I can."

In the lopsided win over Beachwood, Johnson ran for 85 yards and three touchdowns, caught two passes for nine yards, and also returned a fumble 21 yards for a score — all in the first half.

Like McDuffie was in his Hawken days, Johnson relishes in being a well-rounded player. He has scored touchdowns rushing, receiving, on returns, by fumble return and by interception return this season.

Hawken (7-1, 4-0 CVC Valley) has road games against Harvey and Crestwood remaining, as well as possible playoff games. So it's safe to say Johnson could (should?) have the single-season record touchdown record to himself in the near future.

"I'd hope so. I'd like to see him do it," Coach Mark Iammarino said.

Iammarino said Johnson is much more than the 1,000-yard rusher, touchdown-scorer and defender that everyone sees.

"People see him on Friday nights and see him run, catch, return, intercept and tackle," Iammarino said. "They don't see him Saturday-through-Thursday when he is the ultimate team player and leader for us."

Johnson, who is also a track standout, said he is humbled to be mentioned in the same breath as McDuffie, but admitted he wants more.

"You hear people around here talk about O.J., and I want to mimic the passion people have when they talk about O.J.' he said. "I hope that someday people talk the same way about me."