The pressure of replacing a great person or player can sometimes be so totally immense.
Just like Shemp trying to take over for Curly with the Three Stooges. B.J. Honeycutt wasn’t exactly as funny as Trapper John on “M*A*S*H.” The jury is still out on Stephen Colbert taking over for David Letterman on “The Late Show.”
Johnathan Lewis knows all about that kind of pressure. The St. Peter’s Prep junior had the dubious distinction of being the new starting quarterback with the Marauders, having to replace the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year and Hudson Reporter Player of the Year Brandon Wimbush, now seeing some time at Notre Dame.
“He did have some tough shoes to fill,” said Prep head football coach Rich Hansen. “Sure, the comparisons are going to be there, but not in my eyes. I never wanted him to be like Brandon. I wanted him to be Johnathan. I never like comparing anyone with one of the most successful players in New Jersey history. It would be unfair to Johnathan. But John presses and tries to carry it all on his shoulders.”
The results early on were not exactly wonderful, as the Marauders suffered huge losses to Bergen Catholic and St. John Bosco of California, both by more than 30 points.
“There was a lot of pressure,” Lewis said. “Coach Hansen kept telling me that I shouldn’t try to be like Brandon. But Brandon was one of our leaders and I felt like I had to fill that role. The losses made me a little nervous.”
It also didn’t help that the Marauders had a freshman quarterback in Maasai Maynor breathing down Lewis’ neck.
“It’s all about how you handle it,” Hansen said. “You either wither or get motivated by it. I think it’s a win-win situation because of how the two of them are. They’re good friends and I think that makes them both better players and quarterbacks. There’s no animosity between the two. They’re very tight and I think that makes them better.”
Hansen was certain that Lewis could handle everything – the pressure, the competition, the whole lot.
“If he was a different type of person, then maybe I’d worry,” Hansen said. “But he’s pretty level headed. He’s very mature and handles everything well. He can turn a negative into a positive and a positive into a positive.”
Ever since the loss to St. John Bosco, Lewis has been almost flawless, leading the Marauders to three straight victories and their 18th consecutive Hudson County championship.
“He’s become more comfortable with his performances,” Hansen said. “You can see that he’s gained more confidence. He’s pressing a lot less and that leads to better performances. Over the last few weeks, he’s been able to perfect his game. He’s learned from his mistakes and is comfortable now.”
“After the loss to St. John Bosco, I knew I had to step it up big time,” Lewis said. “It’s an amazing feeling to be able to trust in myself more. In the beginning, I was a little jittery, but now I’ve calmed down a little more. I’m comfortable completing passes and I feel more comfortable if I have to run.”
Lewis showed both his strong arm and his fleet feet last week in a 35-7 win over Union City, a win that clinched the 18th straight and final Hudson County championship for the Marauders.
In the game, Lewis completed 14 of 22 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 110 yards on 11 carries and scored a touchdown.
For his efforts, Lewis has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
Hansen knew that there would be a little delay in Lewis’ development.
“When he was a freshman, he was with the JV [junior varsity] and in the fourth or fifth game, he suffered a broken leg and had surgery where they inserted a rod in his leg,” Hansen said. “So he came back last year and was a little tentative. That injury took a mental toll on him. So he is basically a year behind. If he had a full freshman year, things would have been better and he would be further along.”
Still, major colleges are still majorly interested in Lewis. Although only a junior, Lewis already has offers from Boston College, Rutgers and Georgia, so he’s well on his way.
“He handles that all really well,” Hansen said. “You would never know he’s received offers. But he is 6-foot-3 and 215 [pounds] and runs very well for a quarterback, so he has potential. No doubt about the fact that he’s just scratching the surface. All we need to do is give him a chance to accentuate the positives.”
Lewis knows that the colleges can wait.
“I’m not worried about that now,” Lewis said. “I’m just focusing on the season. I’m not worried about colleges offering me anything. I want to win now.”
Hansen just raves about Lewis.
“He’s a great kid,” Hansen said. “He’s unassuming and very modest. He handles himself well. He’s a very hard worker who cares about his craft. He has a great work ethic who understands what we’re all about.”
So Lewis isn’t worried about being the next Will Hill, another Prep great quarterback from East Orange, where Lewis is from, or being the next Brandon Wimbush. He’s content being the first Johnathan Lewis.
“There’s more of this to come,” Lewis said. “I just want to be me. I don’t want to be anybody else.”
Right now, it looks like the best person to be. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.