All-Minnesota Football Player of the Year: Armstrong’s Kevon Johnson

There’s a flat, elevated area behind the bleachers at Armstrong High School in Plymouth that overlooks the gym floor below. It’s an all-purpose space, used for everything from cheerleader practice to accommodating overflow crowds at busy events. It serves as a simple walkway for students moving through the school’s athletics venue.

Last week, a familiar head covered with dyed-tip locks went along the walkway, passing the gym floor that was busy with students in a physical education class playing volleyball.

Play on the floor stopped. Students looked up and stared. Some called out.

“Kevon Johnson! Hey, Kevon Johnson!”

Johnson glanced over but did not stop. Instead he flashed the feature that has brightened the corridors of Armstrong for the past four years: a 10,000-kilowatt smile that has made Johnson a hallway superstar.

It’s the smile of the Minnesota Star Tribune’s All-Minnesota Player of the Year in football.

Johnson leads all running backs in the state in rushing yards and led Armstrong to an undefeated record until the Falcons lost in the Class 5A quarterfinals. He’s going to get noticed, often. Combine that with the smile and a disarmingly pleasant demeanor, and it becomes impossible for him to go about his tasks at school without drawing attention.

“I don’t mind,” Johnson said. “I get that a lot. It doesn’t bother me.”

Johnson doesn’t court attention. He’s not flamboyant, he doesn’t make a show of celebrating when he scores, and he’s certainly not loud. He goes about his business, whether at school or on the football field. That gets him noticed.

Those statistics help.

Johnson carried the ball 245 times for 2,143 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. He ran for triple-digit yards in all 11 of Armstrong’s games, the fewest being the 117 yards he gained in the Falcons’ 17-14 loss to Alexandria in the Class 5A quarterfinals. He topped 300 yards twice and had another game of more than 200 yards.

His 35 rushing touchdowns tied for the most in the state.

At 5-9 and 180 pounds, Johnson is not a particularly large running back. His 40-yard dash time is in the 4.6- to 4.7-second range. He’s fast, but not a burner.

What sets Johnson apart is his vision. He sees holes before they come to fruition and clears them before they close. He’s proud of his ability to be patient, a characteristic that’s the byproduct of taking a six-year break from playing organized football before returning to the game in ninth grade.

A running back in youth football, Johnson tried other positions upon his return. He always knew he would be in the backfield again.

“I just feel the game within me,” Johnson said. “I have a deep love for it.”

Armstrong coach Jack Negen marvels at Johnson’s innate ability to make tacklers miss.

“When we played Andover, he ran 80 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game and I don’t think we blocked anybody,” Negen said, shaking his head. “It was all him.”

Opposing coaches agree. Johnson was the clear favorite for player of the year, according to ballots received from various coaches. One coach called him “the best running back I’ve seen. A phenomenal football player.”

While the football community raves about Johnson’s skills, it’s his demeanor that attracts his peers. Football simply opens the door. His friendly way wins them over.

“Everybody loves him,” Negen said. “He’s a good student, and he’s got so many friends.”

Johnson credits his mother, Rita, a nurse, for his personable nature.

“She just loves people,” he said. “She could talk to anyone all day if you’d let her.”

As well as this season went for Johnson and the Falcons, he’s still not satisfied. He’d rather still be playing. Johnson said he is being recruited to play in college but declined to say by which schools.

“The season went probably better than I expected, but I just wish we had gone a little further,” Johnson said. “I wish we had gotten that [U.S.] Bank status, but personally, I definitely improved this year.”