Boys Soccer
Two years ago, when AJ Franklin was putting together an amazing 70-goal season for St. Edward, he capitalized mostly on assists from Josh Johansen.
Johansen finished with 43 assists as a sophomore, prompting coach Tim Brieger to make a bold statement.
“He’s my next AJ,” Brieger said.
Johansen has lived up to that billing. With 15 goals this season, Johansen now has 84 in his career, second in program history to Franklin’s 139.
“It was an incredible feat to get to second,” Johansen said. “I won’t get anywhere close to AJ, but I think it’s cool because he was such an incredible player. He was one of the best finishers I’ve ever played with.”
Johansen scored 32 goals last season to lead the Green Wave to the Class 1A state championship game. He also 10 assists this year.
For his career, he has the same amount of assists as goals with 84.
“It’s been great to watch him,” Brieger said of Johansen. “I’ve known him since he was a little kid. It’s nice to see all his hard work pay off. He’s been a workhorse this year. He’s had to take the brunt of everything for us.”
Unlike the 6-foot-3 Franklin, who’s a redshirt freshman forward at Marquette, the 5-8, 125-pound Johansen is not a physically intimidating player.
Underestimate him at your own peril, however.
“He’s probably the same size as when he got here,” Brieger said. “He’s athletic and he’s good. People doubt him. Other coaches know he’s a real good player. They don’t realize how fast he is until they actually see him.”
Despite the difference in size, Johansen picked up many tips from Franklin in their two years playing together.
Johansen attended Franklin’s first preseason game this year at Loyola and talked with him.
“He definitely helped me out,” Johansen said. “Looking at how he finished, I started to use my left foot a lot more because of him. People ask if I’m a lefty. I’m not, but I’m doing that a lot these days.”
Johansen plans on joining Franklin as a player in college. Johansen lists Eastern Illinois and Green Bay as his top suitors.
“I’ve done visits to both of them,” he said. “I’m hoping to make my final decision within the next month or two.
The road to a third straight state appearance will be more difficult since St. Edward (9-5) has been bumped up to 2A this season.
The Green Wave will face schools in the postseason with three times the enrollment they have, but they’re not backing down from the challenge.
“We’ve improved a lot against the bigger schools and stepped up to what we’re able to do,” Johansen said. “Every year we’re looked at as the underdog.
“It’s going to be a lot harder, but we’re definitely capable of beating bigger schools. We proved that already this season. People will definitely doubt us, but we can make it work.”
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
