Diontae Johnson, right, goes up for a catch against Leto High last season in an Oct. 24 game Lennard won, 49-0.
The Lennard High School Longhorns have struggled since their inaugural season in 2006. Other high-school teams would look at their schedule, see Lennard and assume an automatic W.
That all ended last season.
The turnaround in the Lennard football program was nothing short of remarkable, the Longhorns vying for the playoffs for the first time and compiling, by far, the best record in school history, going 8-3. Along the way they beat several local powerhouse teams, including Hillsborough and Jefferson.
A team built around the philosophy of coach Keith Chattin and lots of hard work, they were curiously overlooked for postseason awards by county football’s cognoscenti.
One person the county and state football fraternity could not overlook though was Diontae Johnson, who was recently named a county and state all-star. Johnson was a renaissance man on the field, playing quarterback, defensive back, receiver — all while also returning punts and kickoffs.
When asked about having made the all-star team, Johnson said, “I felt pretty good when I heard, but I couldn’t do it without my teammates, so I just thank them for all they did for me.”
In an era of bravado and brashness in sports, Johnson is a throwback to a different era. Soft-spoken and well mannered, Johnson prefers to talk about how his team did well, shrugging off compliments about his own game.
Lennard football coach Keith Chattin said Diontae Johnson is one of the best and most versatile athletes he’s encountered in 16 years of coaching.
Chattin got to see Johnson up close every week from summer practices to game nights when the Longhorns would shock some of the county’s biggest high-school teams.
“He is the best player in the county,” Chattin said. “A lot of people might argue that fact, but with the versatility he had, the fact that he was probably the best receiver in the state, his punt returns, his kick returns and the fact that he was also probably one of the best defensive backs in the state, well, the kid is just outstanding. He was invaluable to us.”
Toledo and Ball State University are both eyeing Johnson as a possible recruit to their football programs.
“I haven’t decided yet on where I will go,” said Johnson, who thanked Chattin for helping him with the recruitment process. “Coach is like my dad,” Johnson said. “He has given me a lot.”
In 16 years stalking the sidelines as a head coach, Chattin has seen few better players.
“My wife and I were just talking about that, and he [Johnson]is certainly in the top five if not the top two. We have sent plenty of kids to college and Division 1 schools, but he is the most versatile kid we have ever had.”
Division 1 is the highest level of college football.
While he’s always respectful and sometimes even a little shy, Johnson has another side to him, Chattin said. “He’s big on trust but once you get to know him and he trusts you, he will talk to you until you don’t want to talk anymore. He is a great young man.”
Chattin said he is not disappointed about the absence of other postseason honors for the Longhorns.
“I was not disappointed for myself, but I was for some of the kids like Diontae, who should have been up for player of the year. I know the sacrifice and effort the kids put into it, and I know where we came from to where we are now. We had a very good season no matter what awards we did or didn’t get.”
Chattin believes the program is on a solid footing going forward.
“We have come a long way from 0-10 (in 2012) to 1-9 (in 2013). Now we have set the foundation for the program. We are going to be all right going forward.”