By David Shaw
sports@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — It’s no fun being the little guy. Just ask Tyrone Johnson.

At 5-foot-5 and 135 pounds, the Salisbury senior looks more like a utility infielder than a sure-handed wide receiver with next-level speed, but don’t be fooled.

“People don’t realize,” Johnson said during a recent practice. “Everybody overlooks little receivers, but we’re actually the most dangerous. (Defenders) think we won’t get off the line, but then it’s a quick move and you can’t get your hands on us. I’ve always been undersized, but it’s not a problem.”

That’s the winning attitude second-year SHS coach Brian Hinson has encouraged and embraced with Johnson.

“He knows who he is and how big he is,” Hinson said. “Teams that don’t respect us getting the ball to him quickly will pay for it. They have to account for him — and when they do, that’ll open up our inside running game.”

Johnson has turned any perceived disadvantage into a contest of will and endurance. He spent most of last season playing in the shadow of Trell Baker, the unstoppable wideout who led the senior-laden Hornets into the 2A state playoffs.

“We were like brothers,” Johnson said. “I looked up to him. That’s how I feel this year, with some of our younger guys looking up to me. Trell could make one move and be gone. He was quick and had good route-running technique. I watched him and learned a lot.”

That could spell trouble for CCC opponents this fall. Johnson was Salisbury’s top pass-catcher in 2017 with 24 receptions — three more than Baker — grabs that produced 391 yards, five touchdowns and a spot on the all-county team. This year, he’ll play catch with a first-year quarterback, sophomore Mike McLean, in Hinson’s spread option configurations.

“When we had the dead periods earlier this summer, me and Mike worked together as much as we could,” said Johnson. “I like how he reads the play. He knows when to get it out and when to take off running. We’re both doing the same thing — trying to make ourselves and the team better.”

Johnson, like his cousin Jalen Houston of West Rowan, is among the county’s fastest sprinters. He edged Houston in last spring’s championship 200-meter dash and placed a close second to him in the 100.

“When we get together, it’s all about winning,” said Johnson, who clocked a personal-best 10.98 seconds in the 100 as a sophomore. “It’s the same in football. Everyone has to win their battle.”

Hinson expects opponents to game-plan for Johnson’s speed and his big-play potential, but likes his work ethic as well. “He’s a good screen guy, a good bubble guy,” the coach said. “What a lot of people don’t know is that he studies how to run routes. Once he makes a catch, he’s hard to get your hands on. I think without (Baker), Tyrone has a chance to be a spotlight guy for us this year.”

And that sounds like fun, no matter what the height and weight charts read.

“This is a chance for me to shine,” he said. “I want to help this team do better than last year, to make the playoffs again and maybe even win a championship.”