Rancocas Valley’s J.C. Johnson has soccer – and England – on his mind

When he talked about where he might play college soccer, J.C. Johnson caught himself, unsure of whether he should say what just popped into his mind.

"Well, there is this one school I'm considering," he finally said, and he smiled. "York St. John University."

And where is that?

"It's in England," he said.

Forget about the bad food. Forget about the weather.

Johnson, a star striker for Rancocas Valley, will tell you it's all about the soccer.

"I would definitely, definitely go out there," Johnson said. "I think that would be an unbelievable experience for me."

He said he started communicating with the school when representatives from there reached out to him through a recruiting website. He said his dream would be to refine his game in a soccer-crazed country and work his way into a professional career in the game he loves.

It's no guarantee, but it's his dream as a 17-year-old high school senior. And it's a window into what drives him: a love — some might call it an obsession — with soccer.

"It's something I'm just so passionate about," Johnson said.

Last season was Johnson's first playing varsity soccer. But he struck for 17 goals and four assists, leading a Red Devils team that advanced to the Coaches Tournament and South Jersey Group 4 finals.

Johnson, though, was on the sideline, nursing a strained hamstring — nothing serious, he insists — as Rancocas Valley lost its season opener, 2-1, to Bordentown, nearly a month ago. The worst pain he felt that day, he said, was not being able to help his teammates.

"You have no idea," he said when asked how hard it was for him to be sidelined for the first game of his senior season. "I'm just so excited for this season and wanted to be out there helping them so bad, especially when we needed a goal."

Rancocas Valley coach Damon Petras likes to point out that the Red Devils were 10-1-1 when Johnson scored last year, 5-6-1 when he didn't.

"He benefited from some great finishes and some great passing from his teammates," Petras said. "We were able to move the ball pretty efficiently last year. We did a nice job of defending and then once we won the ball, we did a nice job of keeping possession."

It's why despite a slow start, the Red Devils (2-3-1) still have plenty of be excited about this season.

The team returned most of its offense and appears strong in each third of the field.

"A lot of those guys stepped up last season," Petras said. "We had good leadership and players who took it to the next level. And we're hoping to build off of that this year."

Johnson thinks he can take another step forward this year. He said he's benefited from a tough club schedule and even by playing in a men's league this offseason.

"I'm just going to keep pressing as hard as I can on and off the field," he said.

Last year, Johnson excelled at breaking defenders down. He said much of his success simply came down to being in the right place at the right time.

A lot of that is owed to having a high soccer IQ, the product of playing a sport that you love, that you'd dreamed about playing across the world.

All of it adds up to him being one of the state's best players and a star on one of South Jersey's most storied programs.

"This team is promising," Johnson said. "We just need to clean up those little mistakes and stay positive. It's about staying motivated and staying consistent."

The motivation part, at least, should be no sweat for Johnson.