Article on Nathan Johnson in Tennessean

Physical practice helps Beech forget pain
First workout since teammate's death
By TOM KREAGER
Staff Writer

HENDERSONVILLE — Stephen Lorance walked by the locker and glanced at the football equipment.
Lorance, a Beech senior tight end, would soon be donning his own shoulder pads and practice uniform for the first time this season. But the shoulder pads and helmet in the locker to his left would remain unused on this day and every other day this season.

They had been designated for his friend, Nathan Johnson, a junior placekicker and punter, who died Friday on his way to football practice.
Things started to get back to normal for the Sumner County school Tuesday. The Buccaneers made their first uphill walk to the school's practice field since Johnson's death for their first practice in pads.
"It was bittersweet coming up here today because Nate was one of my better friends on the team," Lorance said. "To walk by and see all of his stuff and know he won't be able to strap it on was tough, but it was good to get back out there and live life to its fullest.
"His locker is a great reminder for us. It allows us think about the life he lived."
Teammate John David Baites said getting back on the field would help heal the team from its grief. There were few tears shed during practice — just hard hitting and traditional football drills.
"You can't really dwell on it," Baites said. "It just makes you thankful to be alive. It's still real hard since we just lost Nathan. But getting back on the field is good because it gets your mind off of it."
Those that knew Johnson said everyone liked the junior-to-be. He was a devout Christian who was deeply involved in the youth ministry program at Long Hollow Baptist Church near the Beech campus. He was also the lead singer and a guitarist for a gospel rock band, Through the Glass.
Beech Coach Anthony Crabtree said he was amazed at the turnout at Johnson's funeral Monday. Some friends Johnson met on spring break drove down from Indiana for the funeral.
"Anybody that didn't know him, if you were around the last two days since he passed away, you would have learned so much," Crabtree said. "I knew he was a Christian, but I had no idea what an ambassador for Christ he was.
"That was his passion in life — for people to get saved and not die and go to hell. He wept for his teammates to not lose their soul in hell. That's the kind of guy he was."
Crabtree held a team meeting Monday night on the school's football field to give the team a chance to talk about Johnson's life. It was a chance for the coaches and players to air out feelings and thoughts.
"This has brought our team together," Crabtree said. "His death has affected this community, this school, this team and me personally. It's a tragedy, but a lot of good things have come out of it. Don't know if that's the right thing to say, but it has."
The team has changed in various ways. Some have decided not to use profanity.
A memorial was put up near the accident site beside a school caution light off of Long Hollow Pike. About 100 feet east of the memorial a sign with a handwritten question, "If God used Nathan to tuch (sic) your life, please sign" had several signatures.
The football team also will remember Johnson this year by dedicating the season to him. The Buccaneers will place a football signed by the team on a football tee in his locker with a picture of Johnson and his blue football cleats. Plexiglas will then seal the locker.
Johnson's cleats were his trademark.
"We called him 'Blue Thunder' because he wore these shoes that were flamboyant blue," Lorance said. "Everyone else had black cleats. But he had blue."
The team also plans on presenting his No. 14 game jersey to his mother at the team's Aug. 25 home opener against Hendersonville. Johnson hit a 45-yard field goal in last year' 16-14 win against the Commandos.
Crabtree said that while Johnson was just a punter and placekicker for the Buccaneers, he was expected to play an important part of the team this season.
"This year he had been kicking it great," Crabtree said. "He was kicking it longer than he ever had. We were excited to have that weapon."
Johnson's uncle, Lee Meredith, spoke to the team Tuesday, challenging it to remember Johnson during the season and play the season the way he would want.
"Ask yourself, 'What would Nathan want?'" Meredith said. "Dig deep, fellas. Do it for Nathan Johnson."
Meredith said he spoke with his nephew a few days before his death. Meredith lives in Tampa, Fla., and didn't get a chance to see Johnson play much.
"He told me this year was going to be a good season," Meredith said. "Last year they went 8-3, and this year might be even better. That's the last time I talked to him."