Brett Johnson Joins Some Select Company
John Carey, Archie Harris and John Richardson.
Over the weekend, Ocean City High School junior Brett Johnson joined that group. They are the only four OCHS boys to win two state championships in the same meet. If you expand the list to girls, Brittany Sedberry would be added.
Johnson has a sense of history, though he admits when he entered OCHS he had no knowledge about Richardson. “I’d never heard of him,” he said. “But when I saw that he was a winner of the Gatorade Athlete of the Year award I found out about him. I’d heard about Brittany, but I didn’t know that much about her.”
Richardson, who has developed a long distance text-messaging friendship with Johnson, was the last Ocean City boy to win twice in the state meet. He won the same two events – the 800 and 1600 meters – in 2003. Sedberry followed the next year by winning both the 1600 and 3200.
Before Richardson’s impressive double – he took it a step further four days later by winning both events in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions – it had been 17 years since an OCHS boy won a state title.
When Richardson completed his double win in 2003 it was the first time in 66 years for a Raider athlete. Archie Harris accomplished the feat in 1937, winning the shot put and discus. Just seven years before, John Carey had set the standard that all OCHS track athletes hope to equal. Carey won three titles in the 1930 state meet, taking the shot put, discus and javelin.
Johnson is nothing if not competitive. Last year, when he was injured and couldn’t run in the state meet, he didn’t even go to South Plainfield, feeling that if he’d been there, there would have been an overwhelming temptation to compete. So, when he heard about Carey’s feat, he set a new goal.
“I might have to go after that next year,” he said. And you definitely got the feeling it was something that would remain on his mind.
Harris won a total of four state championships, winning the discus both as a junior and sophomore. He would have competed in that event in the 1940 Olympic Games in Tokyo but the event was cancelled because of World War II.
Last November, Johnson became the first Ocean City boys cross country runner to win a state championship. Only two girls – Sedberry and Abbey Hartman – had won state championships in both track and cross country before Johnson’s effort in the fall.
The week before the state meet Johnson completed his South Jersey trifecta, winning the 800, 1600 and 3200, an Ocean City High School first.
This week, in the final New Jersey track event of the season, he will run the 1600 meters and, probably, the 800 meters in the Meet of Champions at South Plainfield, hoping to duplicate Richardson’s rare 2003 double.
“I really haven’t run a fast open mile (1600) since my freshmen year,” Johnson said. “I ran a fast 1500 this year and a fast relay split but not the mile.” Johnson’s “fast 1500” was a 3:53.71 in the Ironman Invitational at Don Bosco Prep. It was the fourth fastest time in New Jersey history and the fastest in the nation this year, until Charles White of Colorado ran a 3:49.62 recently.
“I really want to go out and put a strong mile together,” Johnson continued. “That will be my main objective. That race comes first. When it is all over, we’ll decide if I’m going to run the 800. I’m not really that good an 800 runner. I don’t have as much experience in it. But my goal is to run them both.”
And we’ve all seen what happens when Brett Johnson sets goals. Usually, he makes history.
Over the weekend, Ocean City High School junior Brett Johnson joined that group. They are the only four OCHS boys to win two state championships in the same meet. If you expand the list to girls, Brittany Sedberry would be added.
Johnson has a sense of history, though he admits when he entered OCHS he had no knowledge about Richardson. “I’d never heard of him,” he said. “But when I saw that he was a winner of the Gatorade Athlete of the Year award I found out about him. I’d heard about Brittany, but I didn’t know that much about her.”
Richardson, who has developed a long distance text-messaging friendship with Johnson, was the last Ocean City boy to win twice in the state meet. He won the same two events – the 800 and 1600 meters – in 2003. Sedberry followed the next year by winning both the 1600 and 3200.
Before Richardson’s impressive double – he took it a step further four days later by winning both events in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions – it had been 17 years since an OCHS boy won a state title.
When Richardson completed his double win in 2003 it was the first time in 66 years for a Raider athlete. Archie Harris accomplished the feat in 1937, winning the shot put and discus. Just seven years before, John Carey had set the standard that all OCHS track athletes hope to equal. Carey won three titles in the 1930 state meet, taking the shot put, discus and javelin.
Johnson is nothing if not competitive. Last year, when he was injured and couldn’t run in the state meet, he didn’t even go to South Plainfield, feeling that if he’d been there, there would have been an overwhelming temptation to compete. So, when he heard about Carey’s feat, he set a new goal.
“I might have to go after that next year,” he said. And you definitely got the feeling it was something that would remain on his mind.
Harris won a total of four state championships, winning the discus both as a junior and sophomore. He would have competed in that event in the 1940 Olympic Games in Tokyo but the event was cancelled because of World War II.
Last November, Johnson became the first Ocean City boys cross country runner to win a state championship. Only two girls – Sedberry and Abbey Hartman – had won state championships in both track and cross country before Johnson’s effort in the fall.
The week before the state meet Johnson completed his South Jersey trifecta, winning the 800, 1600 and 3200, an Ocean City High School first.
This week, in the final New Jersey track event of the season, he will run the 1600 meters and, probably, the 800 meters in the Meet of Champions at South Plainfield, hoping to duplicate Richardson’s rare 2003 double.
“I really haven’t run a fast open mile (1600) since my freshmen year,” Johnson said. “I ran a fast 1500 this year and a fast relay split but not the mile.” Johnson’s “fast 1500” was a 3:53.71 in the Ironman Invitational at Don Bosco Prep. It was the fourth fastest time in New Jersey history and the fastest in the nation this year, until Charles White of Colorado ran a 3:49.62 recently.
“I really want to go out and put a strong mile together,” Johnson continued. “That will be my main objective. That race comes first. When it is all over, we’ll decide if I’m going to run the 800. I’m not really that good an 800 runner. I don’t have as much experience in it. But my goal is to run them both.”
And we’ve all seen what happens when Brett Johnson sets goals. Usually, he makes history.
Comments