Super Bowl Update

BY DREW CHAMPLIN | dchamplin@dothaneagle.com

TROY – Preseason camp hadn’t even started yet, but Troy sophomore offensive lineman Zach Johnson already had his eye-opening experience.

In mid-July, Johnson traveled with a group from his girlfriend’s church, Lakewood Baptist Church out of Gainesville, Ga., to Guatemala City, Guatemala, for a mission trip.

There, Johnson and a group of people held Vacation Bible School for preschoolers and also helped build roofs and stoves, among other things. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound lineman said he took a lot more out of the experience than he felt he gave.

“Coming out here puts everything in perspective,” Johnson said. “We have a bad practice and lose a game and it seems like the world’s over, but down there some of them don’t know what they’re going to eat for the day. It was a very humbling experience.”

Johnson described a scene where he was in a landfill and saw a young girl, maybe 3 years old, digging through a bag of trash looking for food.

“That’s when you realize, hey, this isn’t America any more,” Johnson said. “It was very hard and very humbling.”

Still, Johnson found time to be a positive influence on the children he came in contact with. Johnson, who hopes to pursue a career in the ministry either as a pastor or through missions work, certainly hopes to go back.

“A lot of them down there just don’t have a strong male influence in their life,” Johnson said. “To have an older male pick them up and play with them probably meant the world to them.”

Now, Johnson is battling to maintain his starting spot at an inside position. He started the final seven games at right guard last season, but also got some snaps at center during last Saturday’s scrimmage. Johnson has missed some practice time because of heat-related issues this fall.

“He’s strong as an ox,” Troy offensive line coach John Schlarman said. “He’s had his battles with injuries here lately. We’ve just got to keep him healthy and get him reps.”

Schlarman is hoping his unit can have better luck with injuries this fall, though the starting lineup is far from set in stone. One thing is for certain – senior Kyle Wilborn will be in the lineup somewhere, either at left guard or at center.

“He plays the game the way you’re looking for an offensive lineman to play the game,” Schlarman said. “He’s tough, smart, physical, all those intangibles along with a lot of athletic ability and talent to go with it. He’s the warrior that we all rally around.”

Senior Cody Woodiel has put on more than 30 pounds since arriving at Troy in the spring of 2011 as a tight end. He’s battling with senior Andrew Phillips, junior Jimmie Arnold and redshirt freshman Dalton Bennett for a starting spot inside.

At the tackle spots, senior Jarred Fleming is out in front at left tackle and sophomore Terrence Jones leads the way at right tackle. Sophomore Chris Hawkins, a junior college transfer, has practiced well and shown he is in the mix for playing time.

Troy ended preseason camp Tuesday and shifts to an afternoon schedule with the start of classes today. The team’s second scrimmage is Saturday at 11 a.m.