‘A testament to the program’: Johnson picks up 100th dual win
BEATRICE, Neb. - When it comes to sports and milestones, it’s easy to think of a baseball slugger hitting his 500th career home run, or a basketball player, draining a shot to join the 1000th point club, but this past weekend, Beatrice wrestling picked up a milestone of it’s own.
Head Coach Jordan Johnson picked up dual win 100 this past weekend.
“It feels good, I’ve been at it long enough now that it added up,” Johnson said. “I think it reflects the support we have here at Beatrice, the parents getting them to camps, the coaches I have, the kids do all the work. It looks good on me, but it’s a testament to what these programs have done here in the past.”
Johnson wrestled five years at Chadron State, before bouncing around Nebraska with different coaching jobs at Winside, Cross County, UNK, all before nine seasonal Beatrice. Current wrestlers Collin Magnall and Johnson’s son Merrick discussed what they believe has made Johnson so successful.
“He’s someone who’s going to look after you and make sure you do your best,” Magnall said. “He’ll make you get after it like you didn’t think you could.”
“He’s physical with us. He stays on us, doesn’t let us slack off,” Johnson said. “Even today, we did some extra stuff because we’ve let some things slip, so he just stays on us and he wants us to be the best.”
As the dual at Boone Central came to a close, Johnson was presnted a celebratory banner and had his family, including Merrick there to celebrate with him. It was a special moment for the Johnson family.
“Our family is wrestling,” Johnson said. “Almost all my kids wrestle, my daughter wrestles, spend all day wrestling Saturday, turn around go to a tournament for my youngest son and daughter. It’s everything.”
“It was a special day for all of us and our family,” Merrick Johnson said. “He puts a lot of time into it, my mom helps us out a lot beignet home with everyone, he works hard for it, he got it, we’re all proud of him.”