Soon after Hixson shut out out East Ridge, 7-0, on Friday night at Anthony S. Martino Field, sophomore Jummane Johnson led the Wildcats' exuberant celebration. As he should have after helping a defensive effort that held the Pioneers to 115 total yards and forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter.
In fact, Johnson excelled at the linebacker position he had never played before, but the Hixson coaches knew he could tackle. That was even before he saw the final stats, which had Johnson with eight tackles, four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack.
"He was a defensive back," coach Dan Duff said after his team improved to 2-3. "We didn't have any linebackers and we said, 'He's aggressive, let's make him a linebacker.' He's learning how to play the position, and he's a great player and kid."
"Jummane is a great kid," Murray said after Hixson improved to 2-3. "He practices hard every week, and that shows us what type of kid he is and how he can play. We have confidence in him, and he is always a team player and picking somebody up. If we can have that leadership in practice, we are going to have it from him on Friday night, too."
East Ridge (3-3) did not gain a first down on offense until 5:44 remained in the second quarter, when Kashawn Cosey broke a 20-yard run. However, the Pioneers could not overcome a pumped-up Wildcats defense.
"We just had the momentum and were super hyped before the game," said Johnson, who typically plays defensive back but had to make the switch because of team injuries. "I didn't even know the linebacker position that well until practicing there this week. I just read when the two guards pulled and was able to make plays in the backfield. It means a lot to get this win."
Hixson's Tre Warthon intercepted a potential game-tying jump ball in the end zone early in the fourth quarter, and Britt Rominger recovered a fumble as well early in the fourth quarter. Wildcats defensive back Mista McCrary picked off a tipped pass with 6:23 left to play that helped seal the win.
Workhorse quarterback LaDaquis "Dae Dae" Word rushed for 71 of the Wildcats' 134 rushing yards on 21 carries and scored the only touchdown of the game on a 1-yard sneak with 11:57 to go in the second quarter.
"He's a competitor. We had three starters out tonight, so he carried the load for us," Duff said of Word. "We had a lot of young kids play, and that only improves our depth and experience."
Word also joined in the postgame celebration, which celebrated Hixson's first shutout win since Oct. 31, 2014, against Brainerd.
"It's kind of funny because our quarterback gave Jummane a nickname: 'Moneyback,'" Hixson assistant coach Gary Murray said. "Every one of our guys started yelling that in the team breakdown and said that's our guy. Jummane and Dae Dae are just two really dynamic players for us."
With a two-game win streak, Hixson will look to feed off a memorable defensive performance and keep its mobile quarterback rolling next week against Cumberland County for homecoming. East Ridge will host Notre Dame.
"Last week against East Hamilton we got things rolling and got a big win against this week," Word said. "Our defense was awesome tonight without some of our seniors. We just have to keep things going from here on out."
Austin Slifko helped Hixson with three punts in the second half that covered a total distance of 137 yards, including a 52-yarder that pinned East Ridge 4 yards from its own end zone.
Contact Patrck MacCoon at sports@timesfreepress.com