With one sack against McDonogh 35 High School, O. Perry Walker five-star defensive lineman Anthony Johnson did something no Louisiana high school football player has ever done before.
Johnson recorded the 60th sack of his high school career and broke the all-time Louisiana sack record on Oct. 31. The LSU commit also holds the Louisiana freshman sack record and said breaking the all-time record had been his dream.
“It’s been a great experience in my four years in high school sacking the quarterback,” Johnson said. “Breaking that record was a big deal. I strived for it. Before the season it was one of my goals, and I achieved it.”
Going into the record-breaking game, Johnson said he managed to put the added pressure behind him and focused solely on the game at hand.
“I just play football,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t even worried about the record. I forgot I broke the record myself until they announced it at the game.”
Johnson’s position on the defensive line makes his sack total all the more impressive, said Shea Dixon, managing editor of TigerSportsDigest.com. As one of the top defensive tackles in the nation, Johnson faces double and triple teams on a routine basis. His ability to fight through the extra blocking has garnered him a unique nickname — “the Freak.”
“He’s such a disruptive force that one body’s not going to do it, not at that level,” Dixon said. “He has been progressing, and his production has never fallen off. I don’t see anyone else in Louisiana doing that right now.”
Johnson said he takes the added attention from offensive lines as a sign of respect.
“If you’re the best at your position, nine times out of 10 coaches are going to triple or double team you,” Johnson said. “You have to play through that. That makes you who you are.”
Fellow LSU commit Kenny Hilliard may soon be setting a major record himself. The four-star running back needs 124 yards to break the all-time Louisiana rushing record currently held by former LSU running back Germaine Williams, who finished his career with 8,048 yards at Ascension Catholic in Donaldsonville.
Hilliard, a senior at Patterson High School, has a chance to break the record when his team faces Abbeville on Friday in the Class 3A state playoffs. But Tommy Minton, Hilliard’s head coach, said breaking the record has never been the future Tiger’s main priority.
“[Hilliard] has repeatedly said one of the most important things is winning a state championship,” Minton said. “But if we win the state championship and play 15 ballgames, he’s going to break the record.”
Minton said his star running back would already have broken the record had he not missed several games with an ankle injury. But even when the injury hindered his ability to run the ball, Hilliard still wanted to contribute to his team by playing at linebacker.
“He’s played at a high level and fought through injuries,” Minton said. “He just wanted to be on the field. That says a lot about his toughness and his character.”
If Hilliard breaks the record, he and Johnson would make two state record holders in LSU’s class of 2011. Dixon said that would be an incredible feat for LSU.
“More than anything, it gives them a little bit of name recognition,” Dixon said. “Everybody in Louisiana has known who Hilliard is for a few years. And ‘Freak’ is the same way. It’s fair to say that those two are probably two of the most recognizable names in this class.”
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]