She can dunk and is known as “the female John Elway.” Jhai Johnson of Oakland has options.
Last month, Jhai Johnson walked into Oakland Tech’s student center with her blue sweatshirt pulled up, accompanied by an interview by her second cousin, five-time Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch.
“Are you video or audio recording this?” Lynch inquired with a journalist. “We must record this on video. She requires the exercise.
Jhai, fifteen, slumped in her seat. She’s still getting used to the attention that her sporting accomplishments generate. The sophomore center, who is 6-foot-3 and has a high basketball IQ, has already been awarded twelve Division I scholarships.
However, if the previous several months are any indication, Hai may not be the best at that sport. In female flag football, the new CIF-sanctioned high school sport that enables female athletes throughout the state to blitz their classmates, catch passes, and toss spirals, she has swiftly established herself as the top quarterback in Northern California.
Jhai had fantasized about playing football as a child, just like many of her Oakland Tech friends. However, she was let down when she discovered she couldn’t participate in a league. She is now comparing herself to her father, journeyman NFL quarterback Josh Johnson, who, together with Lynch, helped the Bulldogs win their last Silver Bowl championship in 2003. She is not only fulfilling a dream she has long since given up.
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Josh acknowledges that Jhai’s high school stats could be even more remarkable. She has completed 75.2% of her throws for 1,609 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just one interception, according to MaxPreps.com. Some have questioned Jhai’s potential after she helped Oakland Tech to an 11-2 record, which included six shutouts in which the Bulldogs outscored their opponents 253-0.
“Even our referees say, ‘She’s like the female John Elway, simply the way she throws the ball,'” stated Alexis Gray-Lawson, the athletic director of Oakland Tech and the girls flag football coach. “She executes a flawless spiral.”
Prior to giving up volleyball in mid-August to take part in the inaugural high school girls flag football season in California, Jhai had mostly only thrown footballs in the backyard with friends and family. After a little over two months, there has been increased discussion regarding the sport receiving NCAA sanction at the Division I level. Some people are wondering if Jhai will have to choose between playing collegiate football and basketball, or maybe both.
She is just trying to appreciate the attention from college coaches, the busy schedule, and the requests for interviews that come with being a highly ranked two-sport athlete in the tenth grade.
“I’m enjoying myself,” Jhai remarked. “I found it quite remarkable that they introduced girls’ flag football this year.” With this team, we could create history if we win the remaining games.
But even that would require Jhai to make a tough decision. Her basketball team’s season opener against Brentwood’s Heritage High might be missed if Oakland Tech participates in the first-ever girls flag football Silver Bowl for the Oakland Section championship on November 25.
Leroy Hurt, the coach of the Bulldogs ladies basketball team and creator of a modern dynasty, is already preparing for the possibility. Even though several of his finest players skipped their autumn basketball practices to play flag football, he is glad to see them take an interest in a sport that many had long assumed was exclusive to boys.
