Okeechobee High School senior Carriss Johns is this week’s Big Lake Athlete of the Week for his performance with the Brahman varsity football team.

Johns scored two touchdowns in Okeechobee’s 49-0 shutout of the DeSoto County Bulldogs in the regular season opener on Aug. 25. He rushed 97 yards on 11 carries for an average of 8.8 yards per attempt.

Last season Johns led the Brahmans with 461 yards on the ground, and looks like he’s well on the way to leading the team in rushing again during his senior season.

The Brahman offensive line imposed their will on the Bulldogs for most of the game, which opened a lot of opportunities for Johns. Making up the Okeechobee offensive line this year are Blake Woodham, Evan Tijerina, Luke Hayes, Adarius Dove, Max Downing, Jacob Davis, Vincent Cantalini, William Crum, Thomas Crum, and Zander Lindley.

During Okeechobee’s spring game in May, Johns had two touchdowns for Okeechobee, including a screen pass in the third quarter that he took 50-yards to the end zone

“The energy is different,” said Johns about the team this year. “We just have a lot of people who are hungry and ready to win and compete.”

Johns’ vision and ability to break tackles in the second level will cause headaches for many of Okeechobee’s opponents this season.

If you have someone you’d like to nominate for Big Lake Athlete of the Week, email Lake Okeechobee News sports reporter Richard Marion at rmarion@iniusa.org or visit our Athlete of the Week nomination page at southcentralfloridalife.com/athlete.