Franklin Regional grad writes name in Washington & Jefferson record book

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, December 7, 2024 | 11:01 AM

As Washington & Jefferson football players filed into the locker room at halftime, Justin Johns knew he had broken the other team’s spirit, but was unaware he’d broken a team record.

Johns, a frightening fifth-year linebacker out of Franklin Regional, had heard he was close to breaking the Presidents’ all-time record for tackles but was not keeping track in his head.

When he drove a ball carrier to the turf for his fifth tackle against Allegheny, Johns took over the top spot with his 350th career stop.

Washington & Jefferson won 45-0 to claim its 27th Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship and first since 2018. To achieve the record with a title on the line was significant to the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Johns, who had long admired the tradition at W&J.

“Of course, breaking the record meant a lot to me,” Johns said. “This is a tremendous program that’s been around for a long time, and a program that I’ve had the privilege of being a part of for the last five years, so to be able to etch my name into the record books is a blessing.”

Eric Fields, a 2004 W&J alum, held the record with 348 tackles.

“I didn’t know for sure that I broke the tackle record when it happened,” Johns said. “There was a play that happened right before halftime that I made in which I thought maybe solidified it, but I found out for sure when my coaches came up to me at halftime and told me I broke it, which was a pretty awesome experience.”

Johns, who was set to lead the Presidents’ defense against Randolph-Macon in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, had a team-high 84 tackles, including nine for loss, and four sacks. He had 16 tackles in a win over Westminster.

Johns, who said he believed the Presidents could make a postseason run, knew his final game was coming. Prolonging the end of his football career was his goal.

“I’m pretty sure this will be the last time wearing the pads,” he said about his last college season. “I would love to get into coaching sometime in the future, but that’s something I’ll think more about later.

“As for my time at W&J, I just hope my coaches, teammates, family and friends know I gave it everything I had, and I hope I didn’t let them down.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional