High School Senior, Tribal Member Places at State

On Saturday, October 24, Timothy Johnson Jr. ran 2A State cross country for Riverside Indian School in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

He placed 6th this year and qualified for state all three years he has run.

“It feels great, honestly,” Johnson said. “Being the senior, being the leader, it feels good knowing that I can bring my team out here and win regionals and bring us out here.”

He said the hardest part is rebuilding the team.

“It's just the new transfers coming in and the seniors leaving,” Johnson said. “Really, you've got to rebuild your team around the new seniors coming in. That's all, really.”

He said it was slippery, and crossing the finish line was a good feeling. 

“Oh, it felt great. I was hurting the whole way, so it felt great to cross the finish line and be done,” Johnson said.

He said his most significant accomplishment was in 10th grade, when the cross country team finished second in State.

“Last year, I got seventh in State as a personal, and we got third in State as a team,” Johnson said. “And this year, yeah, I got the finish All-State.”

He is going to miss his coaches and teammates. After graduation, he plans to run in college and his eye on a university.

Johnson said his dad makes sure he doesn’t lose tradition.

“Medicine. He gives us a lot of medicine. He heals us a lot, heals the house, the land that I run on. It helps me a lot. Helps me not get injured, you know,” he said.

Johnson’s hobbies include playing 2K and basketball at home. He also runs track for Riverside.