As Brad Johnson prepared for his senior season of high school, the most important year of his life from a football standpoint, the Pendleton defensive end reflected back to 2005, the hardest year of his life from a personal standpoint.
Johnson was 6 years old in October of 2005 when his dad, John Johnson, drowned in Lake Hartwell.
Eleven years later, as Brad was 17 and getting ready to play for scholarship offers and an opportunity to make his dreams come true, he traded in his No. 44 jersey for No. 5 so he could honor his dad by wearing the jersey number of the year he passed away.