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Caleb Abraham wasn't expecting to see the field Friday, but he was ready anyway.
The backup quarterback's preparation paid off.
He led Johnson to a 44-7 playoff victory over East Central in the Class 6A Division I bi-district round at Comalander Stadium. The junior stepped in for Johnson starting quarterback Elvis Estrada, who left the game with 10:59 left in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury.
"I felt bad and then I was like, ‘It's my turn,'" Abraham said. "It's my time to shine. I had to take over the offense, keep up where Elvis left off."
Estrada was able to walk into Johnson's locker room on his own power and returned to the Johnson sideline in the second half. Abraham said Estrada was giving him pointers as the game continued. Estrada threw one touchdown to senior wide receiver Bryson Thompson before he left the field.
The Johnson offense did not miss a beat with Abraham at the helm, as he quickly threw a 26-yard dart to sophomore wide receiver Braelyn Allen for a touchdown.
"It's a strong testament of being ready when your number's called," Johnson coach TP Miller said of Abraham's performance. "The kid has prepared for this opportunity with all his hard work from the spring."
Abraham, who played quarterback in spring practices when Estrada was at baseball practice, found Allen again in the second quarter for another 26-yard touchdown to put the Jaguars up 24-0.
"Injuries happen, and backups have got to step up where they are," Allen said. "Just glad he could execute and do what he needed to do to win."
The Johnson defense also got in on the action. Senior defensive back Jacob Mazzocco intercepted a pass in the first quarter, and senior linebacker Elijah Guajardo returned a fumble for a 6-yard touchdown with 8:01 remaining in the third quarter.
Johnson junior kicker Ethan Joshua put the Jaguars on the board early with a 33-yard field goal with 8:23 left in the first quarter. Joshua kicked another field goal in the second quarter. Johnson sophomore kicker Tyler Bucks also made a field goal with 8:43 left in the third.
"I feel like as the game progressed, we just got more and more confident," Allen said.
Johnson junior running back Jeremiah Johnson extended the lead with a 96-yard rushing touchdown with 8:21 left to play in the final quarter.
"They played lights out, offensive and defensive sides of the ball," Miller said. "Even when we had a few stumbles and mistakes, we continued to play our style of the game, so I'm just really proud of our kids."
Johnson moves to 10-0 on the year and faces Round Rock next week in the area round. The Jaguars have reached 10-win seasons for four consecutive seasons under Miller's direction, and Friday's win over East Central was his 50th win at the school.
While Johnson will take the rest of Friday night to celebrate its first round win, the Jaguars will quickly look ahead to next week's opponent.
"We need to win to advance," Allen said of the team's mindset. "State is our end goal."
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This article originally published at Backup quarterback Caleb Abraham leads Johnson over East Central in first round.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/backup-quarterback-caleb-abraham-leads-072501666.html
