PERRY, Fl. (WTXL) - Taylor County couldn't have closed out the regular season any better. The Bulldogs won four of their last five games.
"I just want to go 100% every play and wake up the next play after my last football game and know I gave it everything I had to give," said senior Cade Johnson of his effort in that stretch.
That never quit mentality is good this time of year. From here on out, it's win or go home time. Only the strong survive, and for the Bulldogs, they don't have to look any further than linebacker Johnson for that strength.
"As long as he's on your team, he's good to go," laughed head coach Tanner Jones. "That's what you want to see. You can go on our Hudl account, and you can watch how much the kids watch film, and Cade's right up there with the coaches."
"I'd describe it as grit and determination," added Johnson. "I call myself a borderline perfectionist. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it the right way and I'm going to put all of my effort into it."
He's a perfectionist who's tallied 112 total tackles on the season and two sacks - and his grades? They're atop the charts as well. Johnson has a 3.8 GPA.
"Whatever it is that he does, he's all in and he does it all really well," said Jones.
"Anytime you got, it's not on the field, it's in my room, on the computer, in the classroom, calling teachers, just trying to stay on top of things," said Johnson of maintaining his grades.
And as tough as it is to balance it all, Johnson said he wouldn't mind leading this Bulldog team, for just a little longer.
"I couldn't ask for more from my team the way they look to me and I look back to them more than they know," he said. "I appreciate them for it, and it makes us all better."
Better today, better this week, and getting ready for a deep playoff run.
