Johnny Pearson grew up playing both hockey and lacrosse.
But when the time came to get serious about one sport or the other, it was an easy choice to make.
鈥淚t just came down to lacrosse,鈥� he explained.
鈥淚 saw myself succeeding at something that I liked more. Ultimately, you are going to succeed at what you like more; that is how I saw it.鈥�
And Pearson has definitely succeeded at the sport, signing his national letter of intent to attend Ohio State University on scholarship in the fall.
Pearson was looking at about four or five schools, before narrowing the list down to a few and ultimately settling on Ohio State.
鈥淭he coaching staff, the players, the system they run and everything, it totally suited me,鈥� he explained.
A college scholarship has been the goal since about the ninth grade, and Pearson said he had to thank all of the parents, teachers, coaches and teammates who helped him along the way.
And with the decision out of the way, Pearson said he can focus on maintaining his grades and finishing up strong in the box lacrosse season, which got underway last week.
Pearson plays for the 91原创 Thunder intermediate squad, which is off to a 2-0 start. The team defeated Port Coquitlam 8-6 last Thursday and then followed that up with a come-from-behind 11-9 victory on Tuesday over the Coquitlam Adanacs at the Poirier Sports Complex.
In that game, Pearson scored five times as 91原创 erased a 8-4 deficit after two periods with seven goals in the final frame.
And the fact Pearson is going to such a high-profile university comes as little surprise to Thunder general manager Brock Rose.
鈥淗e certainly has skill, and he is smart,鈥� Rose said. 鈥�(Getting into) Ohio State, that doesn鈥檛 happen by mistake.
鈥淗e has worked hard do achieve all this.鈥�
Last season 鈥� despite being a first-year player at the intermediate level 鈥� Pearson led the team with 26 goals and 52 points in 16 games.
鈥淗e has got a lot of strength, poise and athleticism, as well as speed and endurance,鈥� Rose added. 鈥淎nd those kinds of things are noticed by American colleges.鈥�
Pearson landed on Ohio State鈥檚 radar after the coaching staff saw him play last summer.
The Buckeyes have three other B.C. players currently on their roster, including Reegan Comeault, who spends his summers playing for the 91原创 Thunder junior team.
鈥淲e have been going up there (B.C.) every year and I saw Johnny play,鈥� said Buckeyes coach Nick Myers.
鈥淚 was really impressed at first look and (we) did our homework.鈥�
鈥淲e see his abilities, a guy that can play both attack or midfield,鈥� the coach added.
鈥淗e is a big body and has great touch. He is physical and strong.鈥�
Pearson, who turns 18 later this year, is six-foot-four and about 200 pounds.
With his college decision out of the way, he can now focus on his final two months of high school at R.E. Mountain Secondary, as well as helping his Thunder team build on last year鈥檚 success. 91原创 advanced to the playoffs, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
It would be a fitting end for Pearson, who has already had a great start to 2013.
In February, Pearson was part of the Thunder U19 squad which won the .
And in early April, he captained the 91原创 Shiners to .
He expects to leave for Columbus in late August and admits to having some jitters about moving away from home and going to such a sports-mad environment.
鈥淕oing into a school that has such a huge athletic program and everything like that, it is crazy,鈥� he said.
Myers said that like most freshman, one of the biggest adjustments for Pearson will be adapting to the challenges of attending university far from home.
鈥淓veryone makes that adjustment differently, but he certainly has the tools and the abilities to play at this level.
鈥淲e are looking forward to getting him on campus this fall.鈥�
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The Thunder look to improve to 3-0 in the B.C. Intermediate Lacrosse League when they travel to Nanaimo on Saturday (May 4).
The team plays its home opener on Sunday (May 5) at the 91原创 Events Centre with a game against Maple Ridge at 2 p.m.
