“We’re ahead of schedule,” he said.

Hopewell High’s vibrant new football coach was referring to that particular moment during that particular workout, but in the grand scheme of things, the statement couldn’t have been more ironic.

Johnson was hired as the third coach in Hopewell history this week, and in his first act, he must get a team organized and ready for an Aug. 19 season opener. That’s a quick turnaround, a transition with 4.3 speed.

Johnson is aware that he may never again in his coaching career have shorter preseason preparation time, but don’t expect the motivated 26-year-old, first-time head coach to allude to any difficulty in whipping a football team into shape in slightly more than a month. Like many who have preceded him on the sidelines of high school, college and pro teams, Johnson is not backing down. Instead, he’s facing the tough timing task head on.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” Johnson says. “I’d be foolish to stand here and say it’s not going to be a challenge. But it’s not going to be an excuse.”

The son of a longtime coach of the same name, Johnson understands what it takes to be successful on the gridiron. He also recognizes that when circumstances are not perfect, teamwork and perseverance can make the payoff even sweeter.

And he believes he already has plenty of good help backing him up.

It’s been more than five months since Chris Rust resigned as Hopewell’s head coach — two weeks before the Super Bowl, to provide a reference point — and that’s a long time for a program to be without a coach. But the Titan players were not sitting around.

Hopewell’s returning assistant coaches Cas Bundrick, John Stiles and Todd Whalen helped lead offseason workouts, all while being unsure of exactly who would be eventually stepping in as headcoach. Hopewell basketball coaches Damon Bost and Gary Richmond also chipped in to make sure weights were lifted and feet were running. Johnson says he was pleasantly surprised by the shape his new players were in when he arrived, something that’s certainly not a given for incoming coaches. He says he’ll be “forever thankful” for the efforts of the other Titan coaches.

“I think they’ve done a phenomenal job,” he says. “The conditioning and lifting was right on par with everyone (at other schools).”

Catching up

Ideally, coaches like to control everything they can.

They plan offseason workouts, the game schedule and game day routines from the pre-game spaghetti to the kickoff wedge. There’s the offensive and defensive game plans and the two-deep depth chart, and everything has their stamp.

The stamping process takes time, of course, and especially when a new coach steps in late, the ink doesn’t always dry on the first application.

But it’s clear Johnson is a driven, magnetic guy who will rally the Titans. He expects his first season to be full of new experiences and adjustments, and everyone, himself included, must learn individually and then mesh collectively. Progress will be marked by the moving chains and scoreboard lights on Friday nights.

Then the expansive blank canvas of a full offseason will await on the other side of this season, and Hopewell will finally be on schedule.

Johnson and the Titans plan on catching up way before then.