Bee’s No. 2 returner bound for UCLA, but will play ‘like I don’t have any stars’

Opening night of the high school football season rewards Stanislaus District fans for the long wait: Downey High at Buhach Colony, with one of the more intriguing one-on-one matchups you’ll find in Northern California.

Buhach Colony boasts a top prospect in the Class of 2018: Colorado-bound cornerback LJ Wallace, No. 7 on The Bee’s list of top returning football players.

Wallace is built like a modern-day defensive back. At 6-foot-3, he’s tall and physical, but he also possesses break-neck speed.

His task on Aug. 25 is to slow down Downey wide receiver Isaiah Johnson, No. 2 on The Bee’s list of top returning football players. Like Wallace, Johnson is bound for the Pac-12, a “Power 5” conference. He will play linebacker at UCLA with “just a little chance” of lining up at wide receiver, too.

“Defense is fun. You’re in every play,” said Johnson, who will also start at defensive end this fall. He has 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in limited duty over the last two seasons.

“Offensively, when you’re not getting the ball, you’re either blocking or just running routes. On defense, you’re in every single play.”

Johnson chose the Bruins over Nevada, Southern Cal, Cal, Colorado and San Diego State, all of whom had varying degrees of interest in the 6-foot-3, 200-pound three-star prospect.

“They needed me,” Wallace said of UCLA. “You don’t want to go to a school where they want you but they need you. Plus, it’s close to home, I love the weather and … yeah, it’s California.”

His heart may belong to UCLA, but his focus rests with the Knights, the five-time defending Modesto Metro Conference champions. Downey is looking to match Davis’ feat of six consecutive city championships set in the 1980s.

To do it, though, the Knights will need to overcome its youth. This is coach Jeremy Plaa’s smallest senior class in recent memory.

“I think this team has a chance to be better than last year’s team,” Johnson said. “I think we’re underestimated by some people because we have a lot of juniors, but we’re quicker.”

Johnson’s junior season was stunted by injury. He hyperextended his knee, which forced him to miss three games. He returned to the field, but was never the same.

Johnson had 23 catches for 372 yards and six touchdowns through the first three games, and he ranked among the Sac-Joaquin Section’s leaders in each category. He was a home-run threat, averaging more than 16 yards per reception.

Then his knee buckled.

Over the final five games he appeared in, Johnson had 10 catches for 63 yards, an average of just 6.3 yards per catch. Three of those catches went for touchdowns.

Though his future is on defense, Johnson is clear about his ability: He is a two-way monster. He hopes to develop a quick rhythm with junior quarterback Bryce Peterson and join a distinguished list of Downey wide receivers in the 1,000-yard club.

“It was a little disappointing (getting hurt), because I missed a few games,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think I would get any offers. It turned out that I did, so I have to play this season even better than last season.

“With the commitment, I’m going to play this season like I don’t have one (scholarship),” he added. “Like I’m working for an offer … like I don’t have any stars.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Bee’s No. 2 returner bound for UCLA, but will play ‘like I don’t have any stars’."