Following in brother’s footsteps
Union Hill’s Johnny Leonor makes older brothers proud
Johnny Leonor would be the first to tell you that he adores his older brothers, Heatcliff and Jerry, both of whom were football standouts at Union Hill.
"I love my two brothers," said Johnny Leonor, currently a senior at Union Hill, trying his best to play in the gigantic shadow cast by his two brothers – especially Heatcliff, who may be the best football player to ever come out of Union Hill.
"But I have to be honest as well," Johnny Leonor added. "There’s been a little bit of pressure on me. People are always saying, ‘When are you going to be like them?’ It’s a battle all the time and it has been tough."
There is no way possible that Johnny Leonor could live up to the standards set by Heatcliff, who rushed for 1,871 yards and scored 29 touchdowns in 1998, earning Hudson Reporter Offensive Player of the Year honors, leading the Hillers to their finest season ever and a berth in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV state championship game.
Even Johnny can admit to that.
"I don’t know if I could ever get to be like Heat," Johnny Leonor said. "He was a great player for us. I can try my hardest."
But if he could just come close, then that would be amazing. Heatcliff opened the door for Jerry, who graduated last year after collecting more than 1,000 yards for the Hillers. Johnny was predominately the blocking back last year for Jerry.
"I was doing whatever I had to do for the team," Leonor said. "If it meant that I had to block here, block there, block down, I did it. That’s what I had to do."
But at the beginning of this season, Union Hill head coach Joe Rotondi informed Johnny that his role with the Hillers was about to change.
"Last year, Johnny carried the ball maybe 15 times all year," Rotondi said. "He just blocked and blocked. Before [this] season began, I told Johnny that it was his year, that he had to carry the ball, that he had to take that responsibility and run with it. He understood his role as a role-player last year. This time, he had to step up and be a complete player."
That idea frightened the third Leonor brother a bit.
"When he [Rotondi] said those words to me, I was a little scared at first," Johnny said. "He told me it was my time to shine. I know I’ve always wanted that chance, but when it happened, I could say that I was a little nervous."
The little brother isn’t nervous anymore. That’s because Johnny Leonor has emerged as the Hillers’ go-to back, the workhorse who gets the ball instead of making the block.
Last week, the little brother had his best game to date, rushing for 156 yards on 34 carries and scoring four touchdowns in the Hillers’ victory over Hudson Catholic.
And for his efforts, Johnny Leonor has been named as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week, earning the status that his older brother earned once during the 1998 campaign.
"He would have had about 230 yards, if he didn’t have a 78-yard touchdown run come back because of a penalty," Rotondi said. "It’s just a testament to his character that he was willing to stick with it. He said he would be willing to carry us to a win and he’s practically doing that. He had 34 carries against Hudson and 33 carries against Dickinson. He just keeps coming, keeps saying he wants the ball. He’s just a warrior on the field."
The performance against Hudson Catholic gave Johnny Leonor 1,033 yards this season, putting him in the same classification – 1,000-yard back – as his two older brothers.
"He just plays with so much determination and drive," Rotondi said. "He says that he just wants the ball, so we have to give it to him. And he’s gotten better as the year has progressed. He wants to have the team on his shoulders, and he’s carrying us."
Rotondi was hopeful that Johnny would have a big game against Hudson Catholic – so hopeful that one of the Union Hill assistant coaches contacted Heatcliff, who is currently playing for St. Peter’s College. Rotondi then made arrangements to have Heatcliff talk to Johnny from on the road right after the game. Heatcliff was with SPC, on the road to play Siena, last weekend.
"I knew that Heatcliff was going to be calling Johnny after the game," Rotondi said. "It was a very emotional moment, to see that sign of brotherly love."
"I appreciated it that my brother took the time wherever he was and called me," Leonor said. "It made me happy. I appreciate my brother and what he’s meant to me. I’m just happy I could do something like my brothers did. It’s a good feeling."
Although Leonor and the Hillers failed to make the state playoffs – they will face Fair Lawn in a consolation game this weekend instead – the senior wants to make sure that he makes his mark over the last two games, making sure that the Leonor family name lives on.
"I’m glad I got my chance," Johnny Leonor said.
Incredibly, there’s another Leonor brother on the horizon. Sophomore Carlos Leonor is a reserve lineman for the Hillers.
"He didn’t get the running back genes that his brothers had," Rotondi said.
You never know. Give it time. Look at Johnny Leonor. He was a blocker, and now he’s a star.