The Southerner’s pick for the October 2024 Athlete of the Month is Liam Johnson, the goalkeeper and senior captain for the South Men’s Soccer team and the kicker for the South Men’s Football team, having outstanding seasons in both sports.
Up until this year, Johnson had only played soccer, however this season he joined the football team as well. “One day at soccer practice, the football coach came up to me and said they needed a kicker, so I said why not,” Johnson said.
The soccer season did not go as well as the team had hoped, with a record of 1-10-4. Even though the record was unfortunate, Johnson’s goalkeeping was a bright spot, making over 131 saves and being selected to the All City team, playing in the ‘Stars of the Cities’ Minneapolis vs St Paul all star game. The soccer season ended after a heartbreaking loss to Edison High School in the section 2A quarterfinal, losing in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. When asked about the results Johnson said, “I don’t think [the season reflects] the effort and skill on the team and I think it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
On the football field, Johnson is breaking records from between the hash marks, kicking a 51 yard field goal, the longest field goal kicked in Minneapolis Public School history, and the 5th longest in Minnesota high school football history. The football team has also had an unfortunate performance this season, finishing 1-7 and losing their section playoff game to Roosevelt 21-14.
When asked what his favorite part of playing for South, he said “It’s a good group of people, and we have fun at practices, but we also know how to take it seriously.” As for next year, his plans are to stay active after high school. “I’m planning on playing soccer in college, but football is also an option.” Johnson says.
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