#boogiejohnson

2019 Nike coach of the year, Lawrence "Boogie" Johnson, coaching one of his athletes, Dalilah Muhammad, hours before her breaking the the World record ( for the first time ths year) in the 400 meter hurdles, at the US Outdoor Championships in Iowa. Dalilah also broke the world record for the second time, winning the 2019 world championship (52.16sec) in Qatar. . . . . . . Trackandfieldimage.com . . . . #lawrencejohnson #boogiejohnson #dalilahmuhammad #usatf #coachoftheyear #jeffcohenphoto #olympicchampion #worldrecordholder #worldchampion #400mhurdles #trackandfield #athletics @boogiejohnson @hurdlemechanic @dalilahmuhammad_ @usatf @nikerunning https://www.instagram.com/p/B5qbNsEgI3J/?igshid=9m9gwft3zlcu

He may have inherited his good looks and sweet smile from his mom, but he runs downhill like his father and brother did while they were making high school football history near the northern tip of West Virginia. Both got their chance to play college ball, too, and Amar'e Johnson's idea of a dream-come-true always has been to follow in their footsteps. His path, though, included a pretty impressive detour leading to Fort Lauderdale where he enrolled at Bishop Moore Catholic High School so he could play for a Hornets football program known for developing next-level athletes. Based on his senior season stats and his recent commitment to Missouri State, his parents’ gamble has paid off even if it’s caused some hard feelings Amar’e played only briefly this past Friday night during Bishop Moore’s 48-0 win over Eustis, running the ball four times for 34 yards and catching two passes for 71 and a touchdown. The Hornets are now 7-0 thanks, in part, to the running back’s 1,064 yards and 16 TDs on 121 carries. Amar're did play his freshman and sophomore seasons at Wheeling Park High, but then he transferred to Bishop Moore before his junior year. “He’s worked hard. Very hard,” insisted father Darryl “Boogie” Johnson, a former all-West Virginia tailback for Wheeling Park High School back in the early 1990s. “Getting him to Bishop Moore was one thing, but he’s had to do it for himself, and he has.” Like Dad did. “Boogie” Johnson is his alma mater’s only Kennedy Award (player of the year) winner after he compiled 2,062 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns during his senior season in 1991, and his 4,100-plus yards remain the program’s all-time record. He played D-I ball at Oklahoma State, and since he’s been a businessman, an educator, a coach, and most importantly, the father of his two sons. Natalie Spence is an educator in Ohio County, but she made arrangements so she could live with Amar'e during his senior season in Florida. Like brother, Savion, did, too, while leading the Patriots to the high school’s one and only big-school state championship in 2015. “Amar’e is way bigger than I was back then because I was only 180 pounds as a senior and he’s around 193 right now,” Johnson said. “He’s taller, too, and he looks down at me these days. He’s a running back that likes to get outside and go, but he’s more physical than some people think he is. Amar’e is physical like his brother was. Savion ran people over when he was healthy. “Amar’e may be a scat back, but he still likes to run through people and take his shots like his brother did,” he described. “Bishop Moore is a great school, too, and he’s a 4.0 student because he knows to take his classes seriously. He knows he needs his education, for sure.” Bishop Moore Catholic is located in the Fort Lauderdale area and the Hornets are known for a very strong football program. Go Bears!! Springfield, Missouri is a city of about 170,000 residents where Bass Pro Shop and O’Reilly Auto Parts operate headquarter offices. Some call it the “Buckle of the Bible Belt” thanks to the town’s history with evangelical Christianity, and Missouri State University plays an important role in the community’s economy. The Bears have been playing football since 1909, and this season is the program’s first in Conference USA. They’re 3-3 following a 22-20 win over Middle Tennessee, the Bears play their home games in Robert W. Plaster Stadium, and head coach Ryan Beard likes to run a balanced run-pass offense. “I do like Missouri State,” said Johnson, who travels to Fort Lauderdale for each of his son’s games. “They were the most consistent of the schools that contacted Amar’e. The programs that are really interested call pretty often, and he’s had a lot of calls from running back coaches and head coaches, too. But sometimes you’ll hear from one of them, but they won’t call back for weeks. Bishop Moore Catholic is 7-0 with three games remaining, and Amar'e is the team's leading rusher with 1,064 yards and 16 rushing TDs. “It was the people from Missouri State that called week after week, and that tells you they are really interested,” he said. “I’ve told him not to commit to a school just because it’s that school. It has to be the right school. There are a lot of five-star athletes that go to some of the bigger programs, and then we never hear from them again. Next thing you know, they’re in the portal because they didn’t get their shot at the school they signed with.” Amar’e told Hall of Fame sports journalist Kim North last week that the recruiting process was a hectic one while speaking with coaches from college programs like Brown, Army, Navy, Old Dominion, Rhode Island, Dartmouth, and Marshall. Now that his son has committed, his father is pleased Amar'e chased his D-I dream. “I still remember when it was coming down to the deadline to make the decision. Are we going to let him to go to Florida to chase his D-I dream, or does he stay here and we hope he runs for 2,500 yards so someone will at least hear about him and maybe come see him on the field? It was a big decision,” Johnson said. “Finally, we said, ‘Let’s do this.’ “And it was hell. It was tough,” he said. “But he’s committed now to a growing D-I program, and that’s his dream come true.” Savion and the 2015 Park Patriots defeated Capital High, 23-15, to capture the school's one and only state football title, and Amar'e was there to witness his brother's impressive performance despite dislocating his left shoulder three times during the game. What About Legacy? Ten years ago, Amar’e was the runt little brother always hanging off one of his big brother’s powerful legs, and his only wish was to follow Savion everywhere. Around the house. At practice. On the sidelines. Even during his rehabilitation sessions while recovering from a torn ACL that erased his junior season at WPHS. And when Savion helped the Patriots beat Capital High 23-15 for the Class AAA state title at Wheeling Island Stadium on Dec. 5, 2015, an eight-year-old Amar’e watched as his big brother gained 114 yards on 23 carries despite dislocating his left shoulder three times. Amar’e always believed he would follow Savion to the next level, too, and he did play his freshman and sophomore seasons wearing Park’s red, white, and blue. But then the Johnson family made decisions based on potential and opportunity, and his moving south didn’t make everyone happy. When it comes to football, the Johnsons are very well known for their success on the gridiron. “Some people have had a problem with what we decided to do with Amar’e going to Florida to play his last two seasons of high school football, but that’s because they don’t understand how it is these days when it comes to college recruiting,” Johnson said. “And I know people are upset about it because of the legacy with me and Savion. That was one reason why it was such a tough decision, I will tell you that. “It was tough for Amar’e to go down there, but his dream has always been to play Division I football,” he said. “We went to all the right camps, too, but the kids from bigger cities and from states like Florida and Texas got all of the attention no matter how well Amar’e performed. That’s because the coaches and the scouts kind of discredit the players from West Virginia, and that was true back when I played, too.” “Boogie” lived full-time with his son in Florida last year, and this year his mother, Natalie, is residing with him in Fort Lauderdale. Johnson is a paraprofessional working with children on the Austism spectrum at Wheeling Park, and while Savion is a member of head football coach Chris Daughtery staff, “Boogie” no longer is. Instead, he served as the running backs coach for the Ohio Valley Ironmen and will again next season. Amar'e has committed to Missouri State, and he is expected to sign his contract at the beginning of December. “There are some people who haven’t gotten over our decision,” Johnson said. “Bishop Moore is not an IMG Academy, but Bishop Moore is right there, and we’re lucky to have Amar’e there because he’s playing with six other D-I kids on this year’s team. There were seven last year, so they’re doing something right. “It’s just a different world in Florida. It really is,” he said. “I love Wheeling Park and anyone who knows me knows that. From Dr. Miller all the way down, I love the people in Ohio County Schools because they’ve always been there for me and my family, and I hate it that some people are still upset with our decision. “Trust me, if I thought playing for a West Virginia high school would have given him the chance to play D-I, that’s where he would have played. We would never have left. But that’s just not how it works these days.” Read the full article

(Photo by Kaleb Graham Photography)

He possesses every news clipping from every football game played by the Patriots of Wheeling Park High School since 1976. Every single one. Photocopied. In sheet protectors. That’s because Pete Chacalos means business when it comes to writing a coffee table book on the first 50 years of football at Wheeling Park High School. The long-time educator and author plans to begin writing once this season ends, and he hopes to publish it before the Patriots take the field in 2026. In fact, he’s already designed the cover for the historic volume. Pete Chacalos was a science teacher at WPHS for more than 30 years, and he was the school's head athletic trainer for 28 seasons, too. “I really love all sports, but football at Wheeling Park is something I’ve always followed closely for a lot of years,” he said. “As a student first, and then as a teacher and the athletic trainer, I knew a lot of the players through the years so it was personal for me. I lived through all those ups and downs through the years. “I want to interview former coaches and players, and I hope some people will share their photos, too,” he said. “I know a lot of stories, and there will be a lot of that in there, but I’d like to interview as many people as possible, too. There were some great wins and some great seasons, so I’d like to talk to people about their memories.” Those wishing to share information and stories, please email Pete at [email protected]. Wheeling Park High School has expanded since it opened for classes on Sept. 7, 1976. (Image: Google Earth) Three to One The school was located at 1976 Park View Road and opened as the consolidation of Warwood, Triadelphia, and Wheeling high schools.  Chacalos was graduated from Park in 1978, and then he taught the sciences at the high school for 34 years and was the head athletic trainer for 28. Students in grades sophomore to senior attended classes once WPHS opened on Sept. 7, 1976, and the three former high schools became junior highs for grades seventh through ninth. Chacalos said he had more than 600 classmates in his graduating class. Four days before Park High opened, the Patriots played their first-ever football game. Tom Korab was the first coach and the team’s first game was against cross-town rival Central Catholic High School at Wheeling Island Stadium. Former running back Robert Davidson gained important yardage on this run against Fairmont Sr. in 1995. The Maroon Knights won that historic battle, 20-14, and for more than two decades, the Park-Central rivalry was epic not only on the gridiron but in every sport. “The rivalry between Wheeling Park and Central is still talked about even though they haven't played each other in football in a lot of years,” Chacalos said. “When they did, it was the game to go to that ended summer around here. They played the first game of the season on the Friday night before the first day of school.” Ever since that first loss, the Patriots have compiled a 313-222-1 record with only nine losing seasons in the first 49, but the program has recorded just one state title (2015) along the way. This season, Wheeling Park is now 4-2 following a 28-7 defeat to top-ranked Morgantown, but the Patriots will attempt to bounce back at home this Friday against 4-1 Fairmont Senior. “They have a very good team,” Chacalos said. “Hopefully, they can get healthy this weekend and get back on track.” Wheeling Park has always loved throwing the football, and that included quarterback Tyler Fike against Bellaire during the 2000 season. Greatest Of All Time Pete’s blueprint calls for him to write about Wheeling Park’s football program decade by decade, and he’ll include statistics for each season at the end of each chapter. The author will highlight as many former players as possible, and he plans to tell as many tales about the linemen “Football is a team sports, of course, and that’s why I want to hear back from as many people as possible,” he explained. “We hear a lot about the skill players who are scoring the points, but that doesn’t happen without the players in the trenches. That’s how football works.” Darryl "Boogie" Johnson (#21) is the all-time leader in rushing for Wheeling Park, and Chacalos believes he's the best to ever play for the Patriots. The team’s overall statistics determine leaders in categories like most sacks, most passing and rushing yards, most tackles and interceptions, and much more, and the book will contain those compiled stats, too, but eyewitness accounts have allowed Chacalos to form his own opinions about the best of the best. And he’s revealing now who he believes is The G.O.A.T. now. “No doubt in my mind is Darryl (Boogie) Johnson,” Chacalos insisted. “Everyone knows about his offense as a running back, and he is the all-time leading rusher in Wheeling Park football history even though he seldom played the whole games because we’d be out to a big lead and Coach (Ron) White would take him out to protect him. He had this spin move that I’ve never seen again. “But he was very good on defense, too, and he returned kicks. He was on the field most of the game until he was taken out,” he recalled. “In my opinion, he’s the greatest football player to play for Wheeling Park, and I followed his career after he went to Oklahoma State, too.” Although he hasn't started writing the coffee table book yet, Chacalos has already designed the cover. Tell Your Tales Once again, those wishing to share information and stories, please email Pete at [email protected]. (Photo by Kaleb Graham Photography) Read the full article