Battery Creek graduate beats odds to win National Championship

DeAndre Johnson was late to the world of wrestling, beginning as a high school sophomore at Battery Creek High School.

He caught up fast.

“After a couple of months, he was beating people who started wrestling when they were 8 years old,” said Kyle Kimrey, Johnson’s coach his sophomore year. Johnson had just transferred from Savannah so he couldn’t compete, but he practiced with the team.

Kimrey, who is now head wrestling coach for Dutch Fork High School, said “he didn’t know many moves, but he used his athleticism. He had the instincts, strength, balance and coordination. You can’t coach that. He was physically gifted for wrestling and he had the temperament. He channeled his energy.

“From where he started to where he ended up is amazing.”

Johnson’s victory in the 157-pound national championships in March earned national attention. NCAA’s Roger Moore described Johnson’s victory after beating one wrestler who until then had been undefeated and another who was last year’s national champion as a “holy cow!” moment.

Johnson, the first national champion in the ECAC Division II Wrestling League, was voted Wrestler of the Year by the league’s head coaches.

“He has done Beaufort County proud,” said Gilbert Sanchez, Battery Creek’s assistant principal and one of Johnson’s coaches when he was in high school.

“At first, DeAndre liked the big moves and the crowd pleasers,” Sanchez said. “But he had to learn the basics. He learned quickly and started winning early. He was a good listener, and he wanted to learn.”

Johnson’s grades kept him from a four-year school, and he headed to Spartanburg Methodist College.

While pulling up his grades, he amassed a 30-14 overall wrestling record, including 23-9 against wrestlers from four-year schools. He qualified for the NJCAA National Championships both years and won NJCAA District championships in 2015, only the second in the school’s history.

Johnson’s victories continued to mount up after he was recruited by Limestone College in Gaffney.

Limestone wrestling coach Kelly Revells said one of his assistants recommended that they recruit Johnson.

“He said, ‘we need to get this kid.’ It was his mental attitude. We knew he was going to be good. We didn’t know he was going to be this good,” Revells said.

Revells said what makes Johnson different is his attitude. “He mentally prepares himself. He also didn’t take time off. He worked hard. He is less technical than other wrestlers because he started a little later.

It’s that mental aspect that makes him great.”

At the national championships, Johnson, who was unranked, earned the nickname “The Giant Slayer” for dispatching wrestlers who were ranked first, second, third and seventh. Many observers noted Johnson’s stare down with his opponent before the final round.

“My mindset was it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Johnson said. “It was going to be the only chance I was going to get. I was thinking ‘this is going to be nice.’ ”

He said he loves wrestling so he’s never tense, he’s just having fun.

Nathan Day, Battery Creek wrestling coach, said Johnson always put in the extra time.

“There were no shortcuts. He never let himself be lazy,” Day said. “I’m not at all surprised at how far he went. I’m glad he was put in good situations where he would improve. He deserved to win. He works harder than other people.”

Throughout his wrestling career, Johnson has dispensed wisdom to his teammates.

“I’m always making sure my teammates are OK and that they don’t get their mind off what they’re doing,” Johnson said. “If you’re hurting, you can’t be distracted. I tell them, ‘Don’t give up. You have to struggle to get to success. Sometimes you have to fail on the way to winning.’ It’s not easy. It’s going to be a grind. You’re going to have to prepare for something bad to happen.”

His concern for his teammates is a characteristic each of his coaches mentioned.

Johnson has one more semester of school before he earns his degree in criminal justice.

He might look for a job with the Department of Homeland Security, go into the military or, ideally, coach wrestling.

“I’m leaving it open,” Johnson said.

Day said Johnson would be a great coach.

“He has the right temperament to be a coach. He knows what it takes to win. People like to be around him.”

And not just because he’s a champion.

This story was originally published May 7, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Battery Creek graduate beats odds to win National Championship."