Despite the fact his team was on the losing 30-17 end of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Saturday afternoon, Andalusia High School senior linebacker Nico Johnson said it was a privilege to play with the nation’s best.

“It was a great experience to play with some of the greatest players in the nation,” Johnson said. “I got along with them real well.”

In September, Johnson committed to play at the University of Alabama under the helm of head coach Nick Saban.

Other than Johnson, Alabama commitments A.J. McCarron and D.J. Fluker also played on the West team. The game was held in San Antonio’s Alamodome and broadcast nationally on NBC.

Johnson had a total of four solo tackles in the game and was given the “Best Closing Speed” player award by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

“I had a lot of mistakes in the first half,” Johnson said. “We should have won the game. Overall as a team, we had too many mistakes.

“(The East) were leading the whole game,” he said.

Johnson said during the week leading up to the football game, he was always busy.

“We were constantly moving and working,” he said.