Johnstown High football coach Tony Penna Jr. could have spent his time at the podium talking football and listing the numerous on-field accolades earned by a trio of his senior players seated on the Cochran Auditorium stage.
Instead, Penna talked about sacrifice, commitment, personal choices and study habits on Thursday afternoon.
And, Penna couldn’t have been prouder as Dajour Morris signed to play Division I football at the University of Akron, Calvin Anderson inked a letter to Division II Slippery Rock University, and Cody Wallace committed to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
“All three of them had to dig in and make personal choices,” Penna Jr. said. “All three had to make sacrifices to get where they are. Dajour had to work so hard on his grades. Calvin had to reinvent himself physically and athletically after playing behind some really good players for years. Cody never missed a snap. He was a kid who didn’t play much football and people probably thought he would never play here.
“All three of them had to overcome some big hurdles to play here. It’s a testament to what kind of kids they are and what they’re made of.”
Morris was a third-team all-state selection and first-team Tribune-Democrat All-Area pick. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound two-way lineman is projected as a defensive lineman under Akron second-year coach Rob Ianello, a former Notre Dame coordinator.
Morris anchored a Johnstown offensive line that enabled the Trojans to rush for 2,227 yards and pass for 2,420. On defense he made 64 tackles and had 44 solo stops, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
“It means a lot. It was always my dream to play Division I football since I was a little kid,” said Morris, who credited
Johnstown’s After School Live academic tutoring program as well as his coaches, teammates and family. “I played peewee football for the Jaguars down at the middle school. That’s when I really started getting interested in football. That’s been my dream ever since. For it to really happen and come true means a lot to me.”
Morris shared the moment on stage with his mother, Demitrius, of Johnstown.
Anderson had an area-best 11 interceptions as a first-year starter at defensive back. He was a first-team all-state and first-team Tribune-Democrat all-area pick on defense. Offensively, Anderson averaged a team-best 14.6 yards per carry and 99.6 all-purpose yards per game. He also was a threat at receiver and had 10 touchdowns.
Anderson is the recipient of the George Mihalic Sr. Scholarship named in honor of Slippery Rock coach George Mihalic Jr.’s father. Coach Mihalic is a Cambria County Sports Hall of Famer and the scholarship annually goes to Cambria County athletes attending Slippery Rock.
“To be up here and sign a paper with my best friend (Morris), someone who is like my brother, is a blessing,” said Anderson, who patiently waited for his spot in the defensive backfield behind Trojans graduates such as LaQuinn Stephens-Howling, Jordan Jefferson and Rick Sisco.
“It took tremendous work in the offseason,” he added. “We all had to come together as a family to push on to be an undefeated team and do as good as we did to meet our goals. Being up here (signing a letter of intent) is a great feeling. But playing at Johnstown is something I’ll miss a lot. I wish I could rewind it and be a freshman all over and go through the whole process again.”
Anderson is the son of Melissa Spriggs of Johnstown.
Wallace centered an offensive line that allowed only eight sacks as the Trojans won their second straight District 6 Class AAA title and advanced to the state playoffs. Amazingly, he never missed a snap in his first year as a starter.
“We’ve been looking forward to signing and going off to college since the beginning of the year,” Wallace said. “My junior year the work ethic wasn’t real good for the team. This year, we decided to step up and take over the weight room and get everything done the right way. It was terrific this summer and during the season.”
He will join a Thaddeus Stevens program that went 9-1 and won its seventh Seaboard Conference championship since 2000 last season.
Wallace is the son of Brian Wallace of Johnstown.
Sports
Related Photos
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Three Greater Johnstown seniors commit to play college football on Thursday. Front row, from left: Melissa Spriggs and her son, Calvin Anderson; Dajour Morris and his mother, Demitrius Morris; Cody Wallace and his father, Brian Wallace. Standing behind them are Principal Mike Vuckovich, school board President Richard Unger, coach Tony Penna Jr. and assistant coach Neil Cobaugh. Todd Berkey
Discussion
3 Trojans commit to play at next level
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