<body><div>Two of the most decorated football players in Cleveland High School's history were honored on Thursday night before the Rams' home game with South Garner.Sterling Johnson and Omarion Hampton were on hand as Cleveland retired their jerseys. Johnson wore No. 90, while Hampton wore No. 28.<ul><li>Purchase and view photos: Cleveland vs. South Garner (Sep. 26, 2024)</li></ul>Johnson was a member of the Class of 2015 at Cleveland, playing along the defensive line. An Under Armour All-American, Johnson still holds numerous school records at Cleveland.On defense, Johnson recorded 49 tackles for loss as a senior and totaled 101 career tackles for loss, both of which are school records. He also holds school records for blocked kicks in a season (7) and blocked kicks in a career (14).After graduating from Cleveland, <a href="https://www.highschoolot.com/story/cleveland-s-johnson-commits-to-clemson/13642443/">Johnson enrolled at Clemson</a>. He redshirted his first year, but in 2016 he recorded five tackles in 46 snaps over three games. As a redshirt sophomore, he played in eight games, totaling nine tackles and three tackles for loss. He also had two sacks.Johnson transferred to Coastal Carolina for his redshirt junior season in 2018 where he was named a team captain. In played in all 12 games, posting 24 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. As a redshirt senior, he was named to the All-Sun Belt Team after moving to nose tackle. He started in 11 games, posting 41 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.Following his college career, Johnson <a href="https://www.highschoolot.com/story/these-nc-high-school-players-were-drafted-or-picked-up-as-free-agents-by-nfl-teams-this-year/19063082/">spent time with the New York Jets</a> and with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2hkCs5_0vlPnyIz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2hkCs5_0vlPnyIz00" width="640" height="426" ><figcaption>Sterling Johnson jersey retirement. South Garner takes on Cleveland on Thursday, September 26, 2024. (Photo by: Jerrell Jordan)</figcaption></figure>Hampton has established himself as one of the top running backs in college football today, leading the way for the UNC offense. He did the same thing when he was in high school.While at Cleveland, Hampton set school records for most rushing yards in a season (2,042), most rushing touchdowns in a season (39), and most rushing touchdowns in a career (89). He also broke all weightlifting records for linebackers and running backs, including bench press (405 lbs), incline bench press (325 lbs), squats (565 lbs), and hang cleans (370 lbs).During his senior year, Hampton was named the <a href="https://www.highschoolot.com/story/cleveland-rb-omarion-hampton-named-nc-gatorade-player-of-the-year/20022241/">Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year</a>.As a sophomore at UNC last season, Hampton was named First Team All-ACC and was named an All-American by multiple organizations. He played in all 13 games for the Tar Heels, rushing for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns on 253 carries. He also had 29 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown. His 1,504 rushing yards is second on UNC's single-season list.So far this fall, Hampton has rushed for 555 yards and six touchdowns on 85 carries in four games.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1bRdWA_0vlPnyIz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1bRdWA_0vlPnyIz00" width="640" height="426" ><figcaption>Omarion Hampton jersey retirement. South Garner takes on Cleveland on Thursday, September 26, 2024. (Photo by: Jerrell Jordan)</figcaption></figure></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Cleveland retires jerseys of Omarion Hampton, Sterling Johnson

Two of the most decorated football players in Cleveland High School's history were honored on Thursday night before the Rams' home game with South Garner. Sterling Johnson and Omarion Hampton were on hand as Cleveland retired their jerseys. Johnson wore No. 90, while Hampton wore No. 28. Purchase and view...