Winning with Johnnyball: Wimberley's bruising running back has Texans in state title game
It’s easy to see Wimberley’s Johnny Ball as a throwback football player. The 6-foot, 220-pound senior running back plays with a rowdy abandon befitting his former role as a starting defensive end. He runs the ball with a lineman's mentality, bulling through tacklers, setting a physical tone for the unbeaten Texans.
Need more evidence that he seems like a player from a bygone era? Ball, an avowed Dallas Cowboys fan who's thrilled that he'll take the field Friday morning at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the Class 4A Division II title game, says his favorite Cowboy is Roger Staubach.
Yes, Staubach, the Hall of Fame quarterback who won a Heisman Trophy back in 1963 and led the Cowboys to four Super Bowls in the 1970s before retiring in 1979 — about a quarter-century before Ball was born.
“My dad watched him growing up, and I’d heard all about him and I’ve seen the highlights,” said Ball, explaining why Staubach remains one of his football icons. “I’ve always been a Cowboys fan, and I’ve always wanted to play on the field (at AT&T Stadium). It’s really exciting.”
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Ball has added plenty of excitement to Wimberley’s deep playoff run. After rushing for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season, he’s taken on a heavier burden in the postseason while rumbling for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Texans’ five playoff games. That stretch includes 303 yards and five touchdowns against Lago Vista in the Region IV finals two weeks ago and 193 yards in last week’s 42-36 win over Cuero in the state semifinals.
That heavier workload in the playoffs has been by design, Wimberley coach Doug Warren said. The Texans cruised to decisive wins in several District 13-4A DII games this season, and Ball had double-digit carries in only four regular-season games.
“In my mind, if you can limit some of his carries in games you don’t need him that much, you do that,” Warren said. “For us, we’re looking at playing 14, 15, 16 ball games, and I want those legs to be fresh down the stretch.
“I mean, he could have carried it 15 or 20 times and put up some huge numbers, but we didn’t think that was best for Johnny or the team, and I think that’s paying off now," Warren continued. "He looks really fresh out there. He’s pounding guys and really being physical.”
Ball agreed with his coach, saying “we did a good job in the regular season, and it pays off in the playoffs being fresh.”
He also quickly credits his experienced offensive line for his increased output in the playoffs, which includes senior Tristan Herring, senior Kaeden Coltharp, senior Kaedon Gonce, junior Jackson Labouliere and junior Caden Romo.
“Sometimes I can tell defenses are getting tired, especially when that offensive line starts blowing the defensive line off the ball later in the games and I start getting some longer runs,” he said. “I can tell the defense is getting wore out.”
If Wimberley hopes to claim the schools third state title and first with Warren as head coach, the Texans will have to try and wear out one of the state’s all-time dominant dynasties in Carthage. The state’s No. 1 team for the entire season, Carthage is seeking its ninth state championship in nine trips under head coach Scott Surratt. Their playoff success includes a 38-7 win over Wimberley in a state semifinal two seasons ago.
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Warren remembers that his team hung tight with Carthage into the second half. He also recalls a mistake on special teams, a fumble and several other miscues that the Bulldogs used as fuel to pull away for the win.
“The thing that stood out to me is that they just rarely make mistakes,” Warren said about Carthage. “We were right there with them but made some mistakes. Before you can blink, they’re up three scores and the game’s put away.
“As you watch film, you see them do that to every team they play. If a team makes a mistake, man, they make you pay for it. They are extremely well-coached. There aren’t very many weak spots, if any. We’re going to have to play a really, really clean game Friday.”
At least Wimberley won’t be fazed by the bright lights — or the gargantuan screen looming above the field. The Texans have won 16 playoff games over the past four years and played for a state championship at AT&T Stadium in 2019, when they lost to Pleasant Grove.
“Going up there, it’s old hat,” Warren said. “You’re not going up there wide-eyed; you’re going up there on a business trip. These kids here, none of that fazes them. It’s the next game, and it just happens to be the last one. They’re excited, but they’re not going to be star-struck. They realize they have a game to play.”
Class 4A DII championship
Wimberley (15-0) vs. Carthage (15-0), 11 a.m. Friday, AT&T Stadium, Arlington (TV: Bally Sports Southwest)
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Wimberley's Johnny Ball has kicked it up a notch in state title chase
