PLANO – After last week’s disappointing loss at Ottawa in the opening game of the season, Plano junior running back Waleed Johnson knew he needed to step up in week two in order to get his football team back on track.

Johnson did that in a big way Friday evening.

He carried the ball 20 times for a whopping 245 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Plano to a commanding 45-22 bounce-back victory over Manteno in the home opener at Reaper Stadium.

“I give all the credit to my guys up front on the offensive line and my receivers who made incredible down field blocks for me tonight also,” Johnson said. “It starts as a whole team to help us get over that first loss and we did it in a big way on our home field.”

Johnson had some fine help from junior quarterback Armando Martinez, who threw seven times while completing five for 118 yards passing including a monster toss for a score as Plano (1-1) evened its’ early record with a resounding triumph as Johnson and Martinez took front and center stage.

“They (Johnson and Martinez) brought this together all summer and you saw the chemistry they had tonight in a crucial win for us after a tough loss last week,” Plano coach Rick Ponx said. “But both of them don’t perform as well as they did without the great play of our offensive line. Waleed’s a star. What a great response by our guys after the loss to Ottawa. I’m proud of them.”

Plano took the opening kick – and after Johnson’s 36-yard return – scored eight plays later after senior Carnell Walls (32 yards rushing) went in on a one-yard jaunt to give the Reapers an 8-0 lead at 8:11 after he toted home the two-point conversion.

Then on Manteno’s initial possession, senior defensive back Mark Thomas picked off a pass from the Panther’s sophomore QB Niko Akiyama at the Manteno 35 yard line. Thomas raced all the way to the house for a score that gave Plano a quick 15-0 lead after sophomore kicker Colby Byrd’s kick was true.

“It was sure nice to score on the opening drive,” Ponx said. “But when you come back right after that to produce a defensive touchdown and go up 15 so quickly it gave us some breathing room, the kids relaxed and from there they really cut loose and played hard.”

Manteno (0-2) did score on its next possession when Akiyama (51 yards rushing, 279 passing) scored his first of two TD runs on a two-yard scamper at 3:07 that cut the Reapers lead to 15-6.

But Plano would answer right before the half as Walls busted home with a two-yard burst with 10 seconds to go that put the home squad up 21-6 at the break.

The Reapers took their first possession of the second half and traveled 90 yards on seven plays to go ahead 27-6.

After Martinez nailed senior Thomas Harding with a 45 yard strike, Johnson’s first touchdown from 12 yards out at 6:25 ignited the home faithful.

Martinez then loaded up his throwing arm again just minutes later. On first and 20 from his own 45-yard line, Martinez tossed a perfect ball under tremendous pressure to sophomore Tristan Meszaros on a post pattern right down the middle of the field for a 55-yard scoring strike at 6:55 to give the Reapers a 33-6 advantage.

“It was a power shoot right down the middle and I got hit,” Martinez said. “But I’ll take those hits any day to be able to get a touchdown like that.”

Manteno countered with a 32-yard scoring strike from Akiyama to Aidan Dotson at 3:54 to trim its deficit to 33-14.

But Johnson wasn’t done running wild scoring his second touchdown at 2:26 on a 35-yard run off the left side late in the third that put Plano ahead 39-14.

“I saw the edge and I got some good blocks and raced to the end zone,” Johnson said. “From there we just had to close things out.”

Thomas scored his second touchdown of the game this time on offense on an eight-yard scamper in the fourth quarter that put the Reapers ahead 45-14 before Akiyama ran home from six yards out at 2:34 that ended the high scoring affair.

“It was a great win for us,” Johnson said. “Now we’ve got to carry this momentum into next week at home against Westmont.”