by 
SKYLAR JOHNSON
JUNIOR: COMBS HIGH SCHOOL
SPORTS: FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, AND TRACK & FIELD
After having time to reflect on the accomplishment, how did it feel to come through for your team with the game-winning touchdown pass on the final play against Payson?
Initially, it was an amazing feeling. We went crazy on the sidelines. Yeah, I made the throw, but that drive, in its entirety, was hardly because of me. From the lineman to the receivers to the play-calling; everything went well. I was just put in the right spot at the right time to make the throw.
Your dad is a coach at Combs and your older brother Drew is a living legend at the school. What is the best advice you’ve received from each of them?
My dad has always been my go to guy about football advice. He and my mom are my number-one fans. My dad knows me so well and knows exactly what to say before, during, and after the game. My older brother Drew taught me, by example, how to balance school, family, church, friends, and sports in an effective way. He and my oldest brother are definitely my role models.
What are you most looking forward to during your last one-plus years at Combs?
Other than being the full-time starter next year for football, I am looking forward to being one of the senior leaders on the field. I am also excited about continuing the basketball tradition at Combs with my best friend, Clayten McCarthy.
Finish this sentence: “My greatest athletic memory so far at Combs is…”
My greatest athletic memory so far at Combs is a tie between Drew’s buzzer-beater in the Globe tournament championship last year and my throw to beat Payson on their homecoming. Can’t beat a last second win.
What is your favorite sports movie and why?
That’s a tough one, but I’m going to go with Glory Road.
Who is one person you’d most like to meet and why?
Anu Soloman, the quarterback for the University of Arizona, would definitely be up there, but I’m going to go with the greatest college basketball scorer in the world, Jimmer Fredette.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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