Sitting on the bench, Andre Johnson scans the practice field, dutifully watching his teammates go through drills that he is usually participating in, but today he is icing an injury sustained in last week’s game. From afar, it looks like Johnson is just another injured player. But on Friday nights, he becomes a star.

He wasn’t always the star though.

He wasn’t always the impact player fans are accustomed to seeing tear up the stat sheet during the game. But instead, he had to prove himself to the community, the team and to himself. Johnson came to high school already in a shadow of someone – a person who would define his athletic career. 

“It starts with my brother (Trey). He was the star track runner, state champion as a sophomore. Everybody just kept comparing me to him, ‘when are you going to start doing stuff?’ It got to me,” Andre said.

Coming into his freshman year at Tolleson, Andre was in a shadow of his brother, something he wants to break out of. Andre decided to set a goal, make varsity by the next year. For him, this meant getting into the weight room, training every day, sometimes with the help of his brother.

“He (Andre) was a question mark kid coming into the summer, but halfway through, he could do it. He takes it upon himself to be a difference maker” head coach Jason Wilke said.

Heading into the sophomore season, Andre and Trey would find themselves on the same team. While Trey would primarily lineup on offense, Andre would lineup against Trey on defense. The friendly competition would reach new heights. For Shemar Wilson, Andre’s best friend off the field, this led to an exciting year. 

“They would just push each other to be better,” Shemar Wilson said.

For Trey, playing with Andre was a dream come true.

“It was so much fun," stated Trey. "(Andre) was the reason why I wanted to play my senior year. It was cool to learn from him instead of the other way around. Being able to watch him work hard in practice, and see the work he puts in behind the scenes just shows me how much he loves football.

While Trey would graduate and become a track athlete at Grand Canyon University, Andre wanted to continue to improve, and this year he became a leader on the team.

“Even as a sophomore, you saw the leadership qualities in practice. He may not be as vocal, but his actions show the team what needs to be done on and off the field,” Trey said. 

For Andre, this has been his breakout year. Through six games, Johnson has 500 receiving yards, six touchdowns and averages 81 receiving yards per game. This season has been in the making for a while. He has reaped all these rewards through the hard work put in during the offseason.

The shadow is still there, but the sky is the limit with the hard work instilled in him from his freshman football coach. He aspires to play football at the next level, and eventually the NFL. He credits his brother Trey for keeping his goals within reach.

“Him working hard, and me seeing him work hard pushed me too," Andre said. 

Although for Trey, he sees the path Andre is on and knows he is going to be successful down the road.

“There isn’t anything holding Andre back. He has the resources to be great. It’s on him to use them, and so far he has done that.” Trey added.

His career is far from over, but for Wilson, Andre’s legacy will be historic. 

“I think it’s going to go down, and he will have his jersey up in the weight room,” Wilson said.