It seems like there are multiple instances every week where a high school athlete makes a sensational "SportsCenter Top-10" type of play, and Opelika High School freshman wide receiver Ja'Quez Johnson is the latest athlete to do so.
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OMG WHAT A SNAG 🤯 (via quez755/TT) pic.twitter.com/zohHAv0VLk
— Overtime (@overtime) October 17, 2023
In the clip above, Johnson has two defenders on him—one on each side—and he dives up above them and snags the ball out of the air with just his right hand—an absolutely absurd grab.
To add, Johnson is, as mentioned, a freshman. He's in ninth grade.
Per his X account, he's a wide receiver and running back for the Class of 2027. He also listed his measurables, claiming to be six feet tall and 165 pounds.
Opelika High School is located in Opelika, Alabama, in Lee County. It serves grades 9-12.
This season, the region's football team is 4-5 and 4-3. They play in "7A Region 2." They're 2-1 at home, 2-3 on the road, and 0-1 at neutral sites. They took on the Smiths Station Panthers in their most recent game and won 42-14. The Panthers dropped to 0-7.
The reaction to Johnson's catch has been almost as hyped up as the catch itself.
Nah nah nah check that man's glove lol... sick catch
— cesar (@Notasalad) October 19, 2023
"Nah nah nah check that man's glove lol... sick catch," one user wrote.
The ball was out late or he wouldn't have had to make such a great catch.
— 50/Fifty (@4thst50) October 20, 2023
"The ball was out late, or he wouldn't have had to make such a great catch." another user wrote.
I have watched/played football for almost 40 years… that’s the best catch I have ever seen.
— Iggy's Fantasy & Betting. FF7s (@IDP_Iggy) October 20, 2023
"I have watched/played football for almost 40 years... that's the best catch I have ever seen." someone else wrote.
Finally, as Zac Blackerby, the College Channel Manager at the LockedOn Network, noted, we must not forget Johnson's name.
https://twitter.com/Zblackerby/status/1714077768411934859
"Remember the name Ja'quez Johnson. This Opelika 9th Grader just made one of the most incredible catches I've ever seen," Blackerby said.
