Austin Johnston, a junior at Eastmark High School, has played football since he was 5 years old. Today, he plays wide receiver and cornerback on the varsity team.
Johnston got into the sport originally because his father, Mike Johnston, played in high school and college, and he has coached football for 24 years.
“I don’t think he had a choice,” Mike Johnston said. “I’ve been dragging him to practice since he was an infant.”
Like Austin, Mike played wide receiver. He coached Austin in Pop Warner for two years and is currently a coach at Eastmark High School.
Eastmark Football Head Coach Andrew “Scooter” Molander has coached Austin for two years. He says Austin is one of the hardest workers on the team.
“He excels on offensive, he excels on defense, he excels on special teams, he’s an extremely hard worker. He’s a great wide receiver,” Molander said.
Johnston is a top student as well as a superior athlete.
“He’s also an excellent student, straight A student as well, he’s the epitome of what it means to be a student athlete,” Molander said.
Johnston is also on the Eastmark volleyball team. Between football and volleyball, he is busy throughout the year.
“He takes his academics seriously and he’s taking some AP courses,” Mike added. “Austin manages his time well and we’re very proud of him.”
Moving forward, Johnston intends to continue playing football after graduation.
“I hope to play in college,” Austin said. “That’s the goal.”
