When Jhayson Fowler walks around campus and the football field at Hiram Johnson High School, he usually has a smile on his face.

He’s beloved by his teammates and coaches in large part because Fowler has been leading the charge in a 3-1 start to the Warriors’ season.

The smile belies a difficult childhood. In 2012, he lost his dad, Jesse. His grandma, Peggy, whom he considered his guardian angel, recently died. On his left forearm, Fowler has a tattoo honoring his grandma. He points to the sky after every touchdown he scores. On his neck is a tattoo honoring his late father.

“She’s my guardian,” Fowler said. “She was the one that before and after every game would ask how many touchdowns I was going to put up. It was really sad when she passed.”

He added said losing his father at a young age shaped his approach in life.

“When he passed, I had to lock in and help my mom,” he said. “Growing up, I didn’t really have a pops. I always had my friends or coaches as my pops outside of school that helped me get off the streets. They told me I need to watch what I’m doing because I have skill that could make it out.”

Between missing a season of football due to COVID-19 and a majority of last season due to a broken collarbone, Fowler has endured plenty. He never scored a touchdown before this season in a varsity game.

He’s making up for lost time. After making the switch from quarterback to wide receiver, Fowler has 19 catches for 448 yards and 11 touchdowns in four games against Bella Vista, Valley Christian, Highlands and Galt.

On defense, Fowler has 23 tackles and leads the Sac-Joaquin Section with five interceptions. He’s also returned an interception and a punt for a touchdown. His 13 overall touchdowns help him rank fifth in the section for points.

He had five touchdowns in a win over Galt last week. Fowler models his game after Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who also had multiple touchdown catches a few days after he did against Galt.

“I’m fast, he’s fast,” Fowler said. “What I like about Tyreek Hill is if you throw it up, he’s going to get it. That’s me. That’s the chemistry I have with my quarterback.”

Fowler started playing football when he was 4 years old but basketball was his first love. He can recall getting the opportunity to play in a varsity football game as a freshman in 2019.

He declined.

“I had a basketball game that day,” Fowler said with a laugh. “So I chose basketball.”

These days, Fowler is all-in on football. He has dreams of playing college football one day. He isn’t playing in the Sierra Foothill League. He isn’t on a ranked team. But he’s making a name for himself and turning heads in the process.

“People starting telling me I’m really good at football,” Fowler said. “So I dropped basketball and took football more seriously.”

Fowler wasn’t always supposed to attend Johnson. He was planning on going to Monterey Trail High School in Elk Grove but didn’t because his mom, Brandy, wouldn’t be able to take him to school every morning.

This was music to the ears for Johnson football coach Alex Gomes-Coelho. The sixth-year coach says Fowler has bought in and become a leader. Most players on the Johnson squad are playing football for the first time.

“He’s a crazy good athlete,” Gomes-Coelho said. “He busts his butt, He’s been more vocal as a leader. I’m lucky to have a player like him on my team.”

Johnson is hoping to build off a 2021 campaign that saw the Warriors go 10-1. The Warriors are the favorites to win the Greater Sacramento League and get an automatic bid to the playoffs.

It wasn’t long ago that Johnson struggled to win more than two or three games in a season. Now they have their sights set on bigger goals. Johnson plays Mira Loma on Friday before kicking off GSL play on Sept. 30 against Valley.

“I understand why athletes didn’t want to come here,” Gomes-Coelho said. “We are hoping those athletes start to take us seriously and show up because we’re putting kids in a great position to succeed. Jhayson was one of the first to buy in and he’s reaping the benefits of it.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 8:46 AM.