Forest Lake was in the midst of an intersquad scrimmage earlier this year when the Rangers’ offense ran a well-executed screen pass that busted loose for a touchdown – err, well, maybe not.

Because while the ball carrier had nothing but open space on his side off the field, over came a 6-foot-4, 260-pound monster chasing him down from the opposite side of the gridiron.

Junior defensive lineman Howie Johnson pulled the runner down around the 5-yard-line.

Forest Lake had a few fresh faces on the coaching staff this year. They stood in disbelief when watching the display of athleticism and effort.

“Oh my God,” one said. “Did Howie just make that tackle?”

Oh yeah, Rangers head coach Brad Beeskow remembered, that is pretty impressive. But when you’ve seen the same thing, snap after snap for three years from a guy, at some point it becomes old hat.

“He’s never going to stop,” Beeskow said. “He has that motor where he’s big and he’s fast and he’s strong, but he never stops playing, and that’s why he makes the plays.”

And that’s why he’s the 2024 East Metro Football Player of the Year.

Growing up in the sport, Johnson noted he played both ways. So stamina was a required facet of the game if you wanted to be good. He moved to defense-only when he started on varsity as a freshman, but the motivation to constantly move remained.

“I wanted to make all the tackles, because getting my name called and everyone cheering sounds really good,” he said. “Knowing I did that was something that I wanted to wear on my chest, on my sleeve. So I just took to heart that you’ve got to hustle everywhere, and you’ve got to get good stamina to fly around and make those plays. Because, ultimately, it will end in wins for my team.”

Johnson may not make “all” the tackles, but he delivers a good chunk of them for the Rangers’ stingy defense. The junior tallied 87 tackles – a gaudy 32 of which were for loss, including four sacks. That’s middle linebacker-like production. Those numbers mirrored – if not improved upon – the stats he posted as a sophomore, which was a feat in itself.

There was no flying under the radar this fall for Johnson, who dominated in 2023. There was a game against Mounds View during his sophomore season in which the lineman had eight tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks, and blocked a punt. Rangers coaches say that game changed Johnson’s life. He doesn’t disagree. It was that contest that showed him what was possible in the sport.

He committed to the Gophers the following summer.

Naturally, Johnson became the chief concern for opposing offenses. That meant receiving added loads of attention, which did not come in the form of preferential treatment.

“If I’m being real honest, it was kind of annoying,” Johnson said in his joking tone. “They would always run away from me or they’d double team or triple team me, or sometimes they’d quadruple team me, and it’d just be really frustrating. Because there’d be so many hands on me, holding me, pulling me, cutting me. It got really frustrating.”

He worked all summer, and into the fall, to combat anything that could be thrown his way. He drilled the art of swiping away the hands of offensive linemen. But when you do that, and those hands have a fistful of your jersey “that’d snap my head down.”

Gophers commit Howie Johnson drags down a Buffalo player during Forest Lake’s 45-7 home victory in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs on Oct. 25, 2024. (Courtesy of Kaitlyn Bakke)

That’s all nothing new to the top defensive linemen around the country. It’s a reality of the position. It’s not unusual to see the production of premier players dip late in high school careers because everything is centered on stopping them.

But the best of the best find ways to produce, anyway. Johnson did so with the help of the Rangers coaching staff, which moved him to various spots around the line, from his traditional position of end to nose tackle or the opposite side. That made it more difficult to scheme for and run away from him. But it also put more on Johnson’s plate. He grew mentally as a player because of it, learning the ins and outs of the techniques at each spot and diving into film not just on the opposing offensive tackle each week, but every single blocker he could potentially encounter.

It required hours, and hours and hours. Not every player is up for that. But Johnson is powered by a deep love for the game. It’s what has him in the weight room every single day, regardless of season. It’s the reason he passes up on fast food or that quick snack grab at Kwik Trip. It’s the reason he got into yoga – though he quickly grew to love his 10-plus minutes a day of stretching. “It’s so, so relaxing,” Johnson said.

Beeskow said Johnson leads through his love of the sport.

“There’s hootin’ and hollerin’ leaders. There’s yelling, motivators, that kind of thing,” Beeskow said. “But he truly just loves the game and appreciates the game so much, it really is his life. He obviously has friends and a social life and all those kinds of things, too, but everything really does revolve around football. You see that go down to his teammates … they love football now, too, because they see a kid like that, that is his life and it is his dream.”

Beeskow noted players talk all the time about going to play Division-I college football and then in the NFL. Everyone can dream. But when Johnson says it, the coach believes him. It feels as though he’s meant for it.

He’s a special breed of athlete. Because as much of football is scheme and getting guys in the right positions, so often it comes down to the mentality you possess when it’s time to make a play.

“At the end of the day, you just have to attack people,” Beeskow said. “You have to go, be aggressive and get after them.”

That’s what Johnson was built to do.

“From a young age, the thought of just hitting somebody was super fun,” Johnson said. “Physically imposing my will on somebody and making them do what I want, making a big play and everybody going nuts and then getting to flex, it’s a surreal feeling.”

One he experienced quite often this season, despite the best efforts of opponents. That led to major team victories for Forest Lake, ranging from a 7-0 slobberknocker win over Eagan to an overtime, Homecoming victory over Stillwater, which marked the Rangers first win over the Ponies since 2008.

“That will probably be my football memory that I will never forget about,” Johnson said.

Though there are plenty more to come. Johnson rebuffs the notion that he’s had some massive impact on Forest Lake’s growth as a program, though it’s difficult to deny.

The reality is the Rangers were cellar dwellers until 2022, when Beeskow’s arrival coincided with Johnson’s freshman year on campus.

“When we first started this job, Howie was a freshman, and that was what we talked about – what’s our culture going to be? What are we going to be known by?” Beeskow said. “That’s that work culture that we continue to work for and strive for everybody to have, and he truly embodies what that is.”

And will for another season. Johnson has a few areas of improvement over the next 12 months. He wants to improve as a pass rusher, improve as an example for all in his community and improve his faith in Christ.

Usually, when he sets his mind to something, he does it.

“To imagine the production as he’s had as a freshman, sophomore and a junior and to think about what he should have as a senior is really, really exciting,” Beeskow said. “We’re really going to manage that and be excited and cherish those moments, because there’s going to be life after Howie at some point, and we don’t even want to think about that yet.”

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FINALISTS

Drew Altavilla, junior quarterback, Two Rivers: Threw for 22 touchdowns while guiding Two Rivers to a perfect regular season.

Bo Bokman, senior running back, Lakeville South: St. Thomas commit was an explosive, do-it-all force for the Cougars. Scored 18 touchdowns, which came from all three phases.

Xavier Daniels, senior running back, Hill-Murray: Minnesota State-Mankato commit ran for 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Brooklyn Evans, senior quarterback, Eagan: Ran for north of 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns while lifting Eagan toward the upper echelon of Class 6A programs

Riley Grossman, senior quarterback, Lakeville North: Minnesota-Duluth commit overcame the loss of numerous top receiving weapons to still complete 64 percent of his passes.

Taden Holldorf, senior running back, Baldwin-Woodville: Owns the school record with 2,102 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground.

John Jeanetta, junior receiver, North St. Paul: Averaged 122.8 receiving yards per game to go with 13 touchdowns.

Isaac Johnson, senior running back, Highland Park: Two-way star tallied 89 tackles as a linebacker and 1,429 yards rushing on offense.

Jackson Reeves, senior quarterback, Hill-Murray: General of the high-powered offense completed 69 percent of passes while running for 800 yards and 12 scores. Also a lethal punt returner.

Sam Ripplinger, senior running back, Lakeville North: Ran for 1,571 yards and 18 scores to power Panthers to state.

Jacob Sampson, senior quarterback, Mounds View: Winona State commit used his dual-threat abilities to power the Mustangs to a district title and a state tournament appearance.

Gavin Sell, senior quarterback, Baldwin-Woodville: North Dakota State commit has 1,559 yards and 24 scores on the ground while throwing for 15 touchdowns.