South East High School sophomore Khyla Johnson competed in track and field, flag football and basketball. Johnson worked hard to earn a spot on the varsity girls basketball team.
Johnson was in cheerleading when she was younger, but basketball became more appealing to her. She competed in JV during her freshman year. To prepare for the transition into varsity play, Johnson had been working with a trainer.
Aspects of being a cheerleader have given her skills that she uses in the sports she currently plays in.
“It helped me be flexible and loud,” Johnson said. “I was called ‘firecracker’ in cheer because I was super loud, so I’m loud in sports too.”
In flag football, Johnson plays linebacker, wide receiver and running back.
“I prefer offense because I like running and catching the ball and trying to score every time,” Johnson said.
The South East Jaguars had a 4-11 record as of Monday. Johnson noted how the mental aspects of the game is holding the team back.
“We need to build our confidence but we’ve been having confidence lately,” Johnson said. “I’ve been trying to tell them ‘don’t be scared, it’s OK.’ We could really win, we’re actually not bad. We have really good players.”
A proud moment for Johnson was when she made an interception against an opposing team.
“My goal is to get picks, score and get flags, which I get flags a lot,” Johnson said. “But my plan is to score. Since I already accomplished one goal by getting an interception.”
In track and field, Johnson runs the 100m, 200m, 400m and the 4x100m relay. The speed she acquired in track has helped her with flag football and basketball.
“I like running the 400m so it can build me to my sprints,” Johnson said. “I’m actually not a fan of the 400m.”
Johnson does not allow her athletic endeavors to keep her from excelling academically. Her favorite classes are PE, science and English.
“I’m serious about my education because I want to go to a really good college,” Johnson said. “Last year I had the same grades for both semesters. I had a 3.67.”
Johnson enjoys doing experiments in science. She also likes learning new words and building her vocabulary.
Outside of academics and athletics, Johnson enjoys hanging out with friends. She aspires to become successful athlete, competing in one of the three sports she currently plays.