Texas high school football star scores 6 TDs hours after losing his father to cancer

For three years, Braun Johnson watched his father, Jacob Johnson, battle leukemia.

Recently, on Oct. 23, Braun lost his dad to the cancer.

Hours later, the Millsap High School (TX) football star took the field against Eastland (TX) and delivered a performance his father, Jacob Johnson, would have been proud of.

Texas high school football rankings: USA TODAY Sports Super 10, Week 12

Braun rushed for six touchdowns, surpassed 2,000 rushing yards for the season and helped lead Millsap to a 63-0 victory. It was a game the family wanted played, knowing Jacob Johnson, the Bulldogs’ longtime head coach and athletic director, wouldn’t have wanted his team to miss.

“My dad, he would not want us to cancel that game at all, no matter what,” Braun told USA TODAY Sports. “Knowing him, that didn’t cross our minds. We were like, we’re gonna play this game.”

Jacob Johnson was just 45 when he died following his three-year battle with leukemia. He joined Millsap in 2015 and spent more than a decade building a football program centered on something bigger than wins and losses.

For Braun, the Oct. 23 performance was about honoring his father, his teammates and, most importantly, his faith.

Asked what he imagined his father was thinking while watching his son score six touchdowns, Braun didn’t hesitate.

“That’s my boy, is what you’d always tell me, that’s my boy. That’s my son,” Braun said. “And I believe up there, he looked down, he said, ‘That’s my boy.'”

Jacob Johnson’s influence extended far beyond the football field. His approach to coaching centered around developing young men who could become good husbands and fathers, emphasizing character and faith as much as performance.

“He poured his life into his kids, that he coached, his ministry, his community, his wife, his kids, everything,” Braun said.

Jacob Johnson often reminded his players that football was a metaphor for life. Showing up, working through adversity and standing alongside teammates were lessons that applied long after their playing careers ended.

“Football is the greatest metaphor for life,” Braun said. “Because you have to show up, you have to work, even when things get hard, you gotta stay with your brothers, stay persistent.”

One photograph captured that relationship between father and son. Taken after a game against Callisburg (TX), it shows the two sharing a moment on the field, looking one another in the eye sitting down. After every game, they would pray and glorify the Lord before talking about the performance.

More: Freddie James, high school football coach portrayed in ‘Friday Night Lights,’ dies

Jacob Johnson reminded his son that his athletic ability was something he could use to glorify God.

“He said, ‘If you do that, that will carry you through the rest of your life,'” Braun recalled, pointing to the photo right above him.

That same sense of brotherhood has helped Millsap navigate the loss. Jacob Johnson built a culture that connected players from different generations, and Braun said the team has leaned on one another more than ever.

“We’re like a wall, each of us can fall on,” he said. “And we keep falling on each other. It just makes it stronger.”

Now, with the playoffs approaching, Millsap has a goal that carries even greater meaning: The Bulldogs want to win a state championship.

The players made that promise to Braun’s father. Now, they’re determined to keep it.

“We told my dad we were gonna do it,” he said. “And so we’re gonna go do it.”

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @AlexMartinUSAT or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas high school football star scores 6 TDs hours after losing his father to cancer