SAN ANTONIO – The Johnson Jaguars and Pieper Warriors are set to renew their rivalry in a pivotal Week 2 showdown, selected as KSAT 12’s Big Game Coverage: Game of the Week.
Johnson (1-0) is coming off a commanding 45-7 rout of Judson in Week 1, flexing the strengths of a roster that returns 15 starters from last year’s District 27-6A championship squad.
“We have a motto: Rise Up,” said Johnson football head coach T.P. Miller. “We really rose up to the challenge last week, and now we have a new challenge in front of us — and that’s Piper. They’re a really good team. And so are we.”
“The first one of the season was really important to us because it’s the start of a great season,” said Johnson senior running back/receiver Aaron Crawford. “Going into Piper, even though we won against Judson, we’re going into them as 0-0. We know how important this game is to us.”
Yet, the memory of their sole regular-season loss in 2024 — a 28-21 defeat to Pieper — looms large.
“Next week it’s a really good rivalry because last year that was our only loss before the playoffs,” said Jaguars senior linebacker Aidan Poteet. “We’re just going in there, not thinking about last week, just thinking about what we can do and how we can come back stronger.”
Pieper (1-0) emerged from a 35-28 shootout against Boerne in Week 1.
“Any sort of doubt or lack of confidence anyone had, it kind of is washed away,” said Pieper senior wide out Andrew Grinestaff. “We didn’t even play our best game on either side of the ball, and we still managed to come out with the victory. So I think to us, that’s kind of a testament to our potential this year and how successful we can really be.”
“It was a learning game,” Warriors senior defensive lineman Thor Myklebust said. “I believe that we have so much more room to improve, and we can be a great defense.”
“They’re solid team,” said Myklebust. “They got great, great kids there. They got studs. It’s going to be a good game.”
The Warriors’ rugged non-district schedule is by design, preparing them for a deep playoff run with a state championship in their sights.
“(Johnson) is most athletic team on the schedule,” said Pieper head coach Nick Rogers. “They have a lot of speed on the offense side — defensive side, they’re big. They have a lot of dudes. We’re gonna have to bring our A-game.”
Johnson and Pieper kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Heroes Stadium.
KSAT 12 will deliver highlights and postgame reaction following the game.
Read more reporting and watch highlights and full games on the Big Game Coverage page.
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