Thomson hoping to help Johnstown back on top in Northridge rivalry
JOHNSTOWN — Spencer Thomson cracked a half-smile and acknowledged the Johnstown football seniors remember last season.
Northridge (0-5) edged the Johnnies 24-21 to earn the Vikings’ first victory in the rivalry since 2005. The Johnnies (0-5) make the short trip up U.S. 62 on Friday and get an opportunity to put Johnstown back on top.
"It definitely is with us, and we have that revenge attitude towards it," Thomson said. "It was a really close game. Three points could have changed the outcome, but that's the fun of it. It's not going to be an easy matchup."
A victory in a rivalry game would be the perfect elixir for what ails both teams, which were hit hard by graduation and have been underdogs the last two weeks in Licking County League crossover games before beginning Cardinal Division play this week.
Despite the win-loss record not being in Johnstown’s favor. Thomson sees progress each day in practice and on Friday nights. Thomson is a part of a small but dedicated senior class, and underclassmen are rising to the occasion.
"We are making a lot of improvement," Thomson said. "We have a ways to go, but a lot of these young guys are becoming the football players they can be and turning into varsity players from the JV players they used to be."
That optimism and spirit is what coach Mike Carter sees in Thomson. Thomson spoke in July of his desire to help the younger players step into bigger roles for this season and beyond, and he has not wavered even as the first half of the season has not gone the way the Johnnies envisioned.
"That is why he is such a great leader," Carter said. "The words he says are sincere. We see it in his actions, and we see it in the way he talks to other kids. He really cares about this program and the people in this school."
Thomson is a starter on both sides of the ball, an opportunity he earned midway through last season. His role at wingback has grown, including a 50-yard touchdown run in last Friday’s 28-8 loss at Watkins Memorial.
Despite being held to 136 total yards by Watkins, the Johnnies again have a one-two punch in the backfield with seniors quarterback Caleb Schneider and tailback Nathan Sheets. Schneider also is completing passes as an efficient 59% through the air, and Thomson was one of four Johnnies making at least two catches in a 42-30 loss to Licking Valley in Week 4.
"We always build our passing game off our running game, so it's always converting on the run, so we can get the ball in the air and take a shot at the end zone," Thomson said. "Caleb has a good arm and is able to do that when we have the opportunity."
Junior Jacob Myers made a team-high five tackles and an interception against Watkins, and senior Garrett Grinstead and sophomore Jacob Hochanadel added four tackles apiece.
In previous seasons, Johnstown has had the luxury of being a rare smaller school to have the ability to go heavily two-platoon. That has not been the case the past two seasons, and it is the challenge the upperclassmen are embracing.
The off-season preparation and continued work during the season could give the Johnnies a second wind.
"I didn't have any doubts I would be on both sides of the football," Thomson said. "I am pretty prepared for it. I haven't had any condition problems. I would much rather be in the game than watching it."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Thomson hoping to help Johnstown back on top in Northridge rivalry
