By Bryan Bamonte – The Daily Iowan
Three years ago, hours before the Kansas state high-school wrestling championships, Joe Johnston had to wait.
Not because it was 2 a.m. and he had a state championships to defend later that morning – no, he was waiting for the doctor – and possibly fate.
His parents waited with him, and when the diagnosis on Johnston’s shoulder was rendered, he shrugged, smiled, and quickly offered his best Willis Reed impression.
“The doctor told him it would need to be put in a sling and immobilized for three or four weeks, “said his father, John Johnston. “Joe looked at him and asked if it was broken, and he said no.”
Joe knew, his parents knew, and with that question, so did the doctor.
“You’re going to wrestle, aren’t you? “the doctor said.
And so, hours after being flung to the mat by a teammate, Joe was at home – on the mat at state championships, the final chapter of his prep career.
His dad didn’t know what to expect, because that night highlighted a season filled with “ifs, “and “buts, “and “ups, “and “downs.”
“That year was one I definitely would say makes you proud as a parent, “John Johnston said. “It wasn’t pretty, but I thought it was something fighting through injuries and hearing people start to ask what was wrong with him.”
With his collarbone pulled away from one shoulder, and the Kansas state championship weighing on the other, Johnston, as he did 160 times at Shawnee Mission East High School, pinned his man, securing the back end of consecutive state titles.
Fast-forward three years, and you see the same 5-6, bulky figure carrying 157 pounds and God on those same shoulders.
A man whose prescription is God and wrestling, in that order. Someone whose aggressiveness and instinct on the mat are backed by faith and following off the mat.
“When I wrestle, “he paused, “I wrestle for the Lord.
“I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily religious, “he explained. “You can have people that go to church who don’t have the strong faith, but I want to say that I’m constantly trying to strengthen my daily walk with Jesus.”
The Prairie Village native chose Iowa over Nebraska partly because of reputation but mainly because of the attitude.
“I didn’t necessarily fall in love with it here, “Johnston said. “But I got the overwhelming sense that if I couldn’t win here, I couldn’t win anywhere.”
Maybe two state championships weren’t enough. Maybe it’s that high-school wrestling in Kansas isn’t high-school football in Texas. But most likely, it was the aura, Big Ten wrestling, a forum in which he could release his onslaught.
“I think there’s something with wrestling that’s kind of primal, “Johnston said. “It appeals to a man’s sense of fierceness, one man against another.”
Not much has changed in three years. From the freshman who pinned defending national champion Luke Becker of Minnesota to secure a dual-meet victory to his latest loss against Indiana, something that remains lodged in the frontal lobe of his brain, Johnston’s beliefs and motivation have fluctuated less than his weight.
“Ever since I can remember, he’s always been there in terms of faith and religion, “John Johnston said. “His parents are very religious, especially his mother, and that is something that has carried with him.”
Joe Johnston’s closest friend and teammate, Ned Shuck, has seen his roommate win 60 times, lose 26 times, and make a career out of an offensive technique.
“Sheer determination to win, “Shuck said. “Going out there and when he’s wrestling his best, he’s constantly on guys with a very aggressive style.”
His score-first, defend-later style, with an innovation of punches and attack moves occasionally leaves him open to his opponent’s rebuttal and open to the referee’s backlash, losing points and sometimes costing him a match.
“Last year, I probably should have finished higher, “he said, referring to his fourth-place finish at the Big Ten championships a season ago. “Sometimes, I’m a slow starter, and I had a bad first match. “
Iowa will look to defend its Big Ten title this weekend, a familiar feat for Johnston and one he fully expects to make happen.
“Oh, I’m going win it this year, “he said.
His teammate doesn’t disagree.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the country that he can’t major decision against, “Shuck said. “He’s got a much stronger mentality not having those injuries, and I expect him to win Big Tens and go on to win nationals. There would be no reason to expect anything less.”
His father, who admittedly was surprised his son was able to wrestle with a separated shoulder, considers it a possibility.
“He’s got a deep weight class, but it’s definitely possible, “he said. “He’s got the first step down because you have to know you can win, but it will be tough.”
Six months after the Kansas high-school state championships, Johnston’s shoulder didn’t oblige. A second opinion revealed Joe had previously broken his shoulder and that he should have been treated earlier. Earlier being the day of the state championships, when Johnston might have been in surgery had it not been for a misdiagnosis.
Maybe it was fate.
Maybe it was an high-school senior turning the cold shoulder – literally – to pain.
Either way, broken, separated, detached, as the doctor so eloquently put it – “He’s going to wrestle, isn’t he?”
E-mail DI reporter Bryan Bamonte at:
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