During the week following the Hudson football team's loss in the semifinals of Wisconsin's big-school state playoffs, Jared Johnson wasn't sure what to do with himself.

"It's not normal not having to rush down to the locker room," the 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior defensive end said. "The routine of practicing, lifting (weights) and filmwork isn't there anymore. It's weird. It is always tough to lose that deep in the playoffs. It was like, in a snap, it was gone."

Gone, perhaps, but his season won't be forgotten.

Johnson is the Pioneer Press' Wisconsin high school football player of the year after the Raiders duplicated last season's Big Rivers Conference championship and run to semifinals of the Division 1 playoffs. After heavy graduation losses left just two returning starters on defense, he took up much of the slack, producing 75 tackles, including 11 for loss. He also had six sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery despite being double- and triple-teamed as opponents did their best to run plays away from him.

"One of the biggest things he does for us is he allows other guys to make plays because he demands so much attention," Hudson coach Adam Kowles said. "There was a game where we kept switching him to the other side a split-second before the play because we knew the other team was setting up to run away from him. It didn't matter where he was on the line; all he did was dominate."

The past two seasons, Johnson had 108 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, along with an interception return for a touchdown in last season's playoff game against Appleton North.

This month, he was a first-team all-state selection by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.

"What really stuck out to me this season is when opposing coaches after games would tell us, 'Whoa, he is really good,' " Hudson defensive coordinator Neil Hatfield said. "In the passing game, he was virtually unblockable. The chess match all year was to get away from him.

"There are a lot of people who say he is physically gifted, and there's no doubt about that. What might get lost in watching him is what a technician of the game he is. He is a cerebral football player. It's not easy to be that kind of player. You can have extremely bright kids in the classroom, but that doesn't translate to the football field. For Jared, the level of football IQ and intelligence is extremely high."

Johnson first caught the attention of Hudson's coaching staff as a freshman and then the following year as a member of the Raiders' scout team.

"In my freshman year, Hatfield got on my case a bit when he'd watch me," Johnson said.

Hudson, Wis., senior defensive end Jared Johnson, center, poses for a photo with his girlfriend, Danielle Holden, and running back Hunter Frey. (Pioneer
Hudson, Wis., senior defensive end Jared Johnson, center, poses for a photo with his girlfriend, Danielle Holden, and running back Hunter Frey. (Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)
"I wondered why he was getting on me; I was just a freshman. He told me to fix some stuff or I would never play a down for him again. Maybe they saw some hope or potential."

The next season, Johnson suited up for varsity games but played only in B-squad games and with the scout team during varsity practice.

"We had juniors and seniors asking who that kid is we can't block," Kowles said. "This was the starting varsity offensive line that he was pummeling. We had to get him out of there a couple of times so we could have a decent scrimmage."

Still, Johnson had to wait his turn in a program that has been senior-dominated.

"I learned a lot from the sideline," he said.

Johnson will turn his attention now to preparing for the track and field season -- he throws the discus and shot put -- and taking football recruiting trips. Schools that want him to visit are Minnesota State Mankato, South Dakota State, Bemidji State, North Dakota State and Western Illinois.