Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
‘Just felt natural’
Johnson makes smooth transition at QB for Elkins
ELKINS — Being a twosport athlete proved beneficial for Kain Johnson in his first season as a starting quarterback at Elkins.
Johnson plays basketball, and he was the starting point guard as a sophomore for an Elkins team that finished 26-6 overall and 13-1 in conference play. Being a point guard and quarterback are similar in that a player must know his assignments and the assignments of his teammates, as well.
Elkins basketball coach Jared Porter said Johnson accepted the added load and was a major contributor who averaged 10.3 points and 5.8 assists per game.
“Even as a sophomore, the moment was never too big for him,” Porter said. “He thrives in big games. Kain is a leader who has the complete
respect of his teammates. He deserves the success he has had.”
Johnson said that experience boosted his confidence for football, where the Elks are 5-1 overall and 3-0 in 4A4 Conference play entering tonight’s home game with Mena.
“It helped a lot because I didn’t feel nervous this year,” said Johnson, who leads the 4A-4 Conference with 1,581 yards in total offense. “It just felt natural to me.”
Johnson accounted for five touchdowns last week when Elkins won its fifth consecutive game by defeating Subiaco Academy 43-7. Johnson completed 11 of 18 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns, and he also ran for two scores.
For the season, Johnson has completed 68 of 107 passes for 1,240 yards and 17 touchdowns with only one interception. He’s also rushed for 341 yards and 10 touchdowns on 81 carries.
“He’s really smart. He knows what the coaches are thinking,” Elkins football coach Bryan Hutson said. “He reads coverages well, and he’s a heck of a scrambler. He’s hard to tackle and makes plays when there’s not a whole lot there.”
Expectations were low at Elkins, which was picked fifth in a preseason poll of the league coaches. The Elks had to replace a number of starters, including all-state quarterback Quinn McClain,
“He reads coverages well, and he’s a heck of a scrambler. He’s hard to tackle and makes plays when there’s not a whole lot there.”
— Elkins football coach Bryan Hutson
who transferred to Fayetteville. But Elkins is tied for first place with Ozark heading into tonight’s game with Mena, which is 4-2 overall and 1-2 in league play.
“Obviously, we wanted Quinn to stay,” said Johnson, who played mostly at outside linebacker and wide receiver as a sophomore. “At the same time, I get to play at quarterback now, so it was bittersweet.”
Elkins is a small town where most of its athletes grow up playing together. Johnson said that familiarity and closeness among the players are pivotal to the success Elkins has enjoyed in all sports recently.
“We’ve been playing together since second grade in pee-wee football, so we’re
pretty close,” Johnson said. “We’ve gone to the same schools, we’ve hung out together, and we live here in a close-knit community.”
Elkins is in good position in the 4A-4 Conference standings. But Elkins has much work to do with the toughest part of its schedule still ahead, including back-toback games with Dardanelle and Ozark to end the regular season.
Johnson is confident Elkins can continue to win and avoid a drop-off like last season, when the Elks lost four of their last five to finish 7-4.
“We were kind of the underdogs at the beginning of the season,” Johnson said. “No one thought we were going to win. We want to prove everyone wrong on that.”
“We were kind of the underdogs at the beginning of the season. No one thought we were going to win. We want to prove everyone wrong on that.” — Kain Johnson, Elkins quarterback