“He hits like a linebacker, but runs like a receiver,” Catholic coach Kirk Johnson explained. “He’s athletic like a safety. He’s a lot of stuff all rolled into one. When you need two or three yards, snap it to him and let him go get it.”

Pierce was nearly unstoppable in that formation, helping the Knights to four playoff wins before he was sidelined in the semifinals against Vigor with a season-ending shoulder injury, costing him an opportunity to play in the state championship game against Moody.

His ability on offense, along with his exceptional play on defense and his leadership on and off the field made the Oklahoma State commitment a logical choice as the Capital City Conference Player of the Year.

“I’m proud of his leadership,” Johnson said. “He wasn’t going to let these boys down at any point this year. And when he got hurt, they weren’t going to let him down (by losing to Moody). There are different spots you can play on a Friday night where you might not be physical. You can play receiver and not be a physical receiver. But wherever ‘Jo P’ lines up, it’s going to be physical. If we played him at quarterback, he would be physical; if we played him at running back, he would be physical. His physicality is crazy. He’s a kid that wants to better every day and his leadership is infectious.

“I’m proud of his growth in his years here. Signing a Division I-A scholarship is just the cherry on top.”

Pierce averaged 6.4 yards per carry in the playoffs despite lining up in a short-yardage offense. He registered 171 yards and six touchdowns on 30 carries, including 154 yards on 24 carries in the postseason.

On defense, he had 76 tackles, including four for loss, along with eight interceptions, one fumble forced, one recovered and nine passes defensed.

Pierce was one of 14 Catholic players chosen to the all-Capital City Conference team and one of seven repeat first-team performers from last year’s squad, joining cornerback Rickie Williams, linebackers Kam Miller and Miles Khatri, defensive lineman KJ Washington and offensive linemen Aaron Taylor and Cayden Dees.

Other players who made the team in 2023 and again in 2024 include Montgomery Academy receiver DJ Vinson and lineman Graham Martin, Saint James receiver Tabor Offord, defensive lineman CJ Edwards and linebacker Wils Johnson, Alabama Christian running back David Ortiz-Ramirez and Trinity lineman McClain Brown and defensive back Xavier Boswell.

Another repeat performer on the team is Johnson, who was chosen by his fellow coaches as the Capital City Conference Coach of the Year after leading Catholic to a 14-0 record and the Class 5A state championship a year after leading his 2023 squad to a 15-0 record and the 4A state title. The Knights remained unblemished this season despite moving up in classification because of Competitive Balance Factor and losing their starting quarterback the week of the first game.

“I thought we got better each week,” Johnson said. “We started off rough in the sense that we trained a freshman (to be the starting quarterback) all summer and you get to Week 0 and he breaks his hand on that Tuesday in practice.

“So you throw JJ (Williams) in there and he comes out firing. So how do you go back to that freshman? We had to find some kind of comfort zone for both of them where we could transition JJ back (to receiver) but not disrespect him because he’s playing so well.”

The move worked as the Knights went 10-0 after freshman Kingston Preyear returned from his injury. Johnson’s team went on to post their fourth consecutive undefeated regular season -- he is 39-0 in regular season games as a head coach -- and win their fourth consecutive region title under Johnson. The 2024 seniors, who were freshmen when Johnson took over as the Knights’ head coach, are 55-2 in their four years together.

“This class plays together for each other,” Johnson said. “They care for each other. Being 55-2 in their high school career is crazy. The two losses were by a total of six points. That’s pretty special.”