Before his senior year, Cody Johns decided to leave the Durant football team to focus more on wrestling. As of press time, Johns had yet to lose a match. At 195 pounds, he has picked up wins at the Peter Barker and Cory Hill tournaments. Johns plans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps after graduation.
Know someone who deserves an Athlete of the Week feature? Email Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com by the Friday before the next issue.
What made you decide to only do wrestling this year?
Wrestling is challenging. It’s all about a grind. You’re not going to get anything out of it unless you put time into it, so I needed more time to put into it. I also wanted to put more time into my grades.
How are the grades?
I’m making straight As and Bs.
How big is the difference between last year and this year, on the mat?
I just feel like it’s helped out a lot … in wrestling, if you take time off, you’re going to start forgetting things. It’s all about muscle memory. You want to be able to hit the moves as fast as possible, so you want to have muscle memory. The more you practice, the better you are.
Where have you improved the most?
I’ve improved a lot overall. My offense, my defense. I’ve improved on bottom and top.
What’s the key to going undefeated?
Every day, I try to practice to my full extent and I try to push my teammates. When things are getting tough, I tell myself, “You can’t give up.” Two of my matches this weekend went into overtime, and the reason I didn’t lose was because, in the final 30 seconds, I was able to hold down my guy when I was on top.
What’s your goal for this year?
To make it to states and try to place.
How long have you been wrestling for?
Since my freshman year.
What got you into it?
During the summer, there’s an invitation sent to all incoming freshmen for “Freshman Boot Camp,” to kind of introduce people to wrestling. I really didn’t know about real wrestling until then and, when I did that, I was like, “Why not?”
What’s been your proudest moment as a Cougar?
Being one of the leaders of the team. The team is like a family.
Do you have any pre-match routines?
This year, before my matches, I’ll kind of isolate myself from everyone. I’ll put on my headgear, stretch, move around a little bit to get into a calm state. When I wrestle, the best way I wrestle is when I’m calm.
What’s the best advice a coach has given you?
Work hard every day.