photo by: Landon Cory/Journal-World photo

Lawrence High linebacker Jah'ir Johnson stares down the quarterback in a matchup against Olathe West in Lawrence on Friday, September 8th, 2023.

Jah’ir Johnson’s goal for the spring track and field season was pretty simple: Don’t stay on junior varsity.

Johnson, a senior who started at linebacker for the Lawrence football team, had spent his spring throwing shot put for the Lions track and field team, but most of his experience came at the JV level. For his final season of high school competition, he wanted to be on varsity.

“I struggled at first,” Johnson said. “I didn’t get on varsity for discus (throw), but in the shot put, I threw 38 (feet) in the first meet. I started working my way through the year.”

Not only did Johnson make varsity, but he earned his ticket to the state tournament for the first time by finishing fifth in the 6A East regional at Mill Valley, throwing a distance of 50 feet, 1 inch in a regional that includes a lot of tough competition. Track and field coach Audrey Pope-Trowbridge said Johnson had been a “JV all-star” and that she was proud of how he grew and finished his track and field career.

“The week of (the regional meet) in practice, I was throwing 50s, and I knew if I threw a 50 that I would definitely qualify,” Johnson said. “The goal was to just throw as fast as possible, hopefully get a 50, and just compete.”

It was a bonus for Johnson to know that he could throw with the best of them in the region and the state. Johnson said that wouldn’t have been true at the beginning of the year, but with the work he put into the shot put and the growth he experienced, he finished his career on a high note.

As a linebacker and longtime football player, Johnson has abundant natural strength. While he worked to refine his shot put technique, that strength helped him compete as he grew and developed. Building on his natural strength has helped him go from throwing 36 feet a year ago to 50 feet this year.

“Senior year, I started to really get big and strong, so I wanted to put all my energy into making varsity,” Johnson said.

Football, particularly the linebacker position, requires a lot of strength and explosion. Johnson has worked to channel his power and strength through his hips on the football field.

Shot put, similarly, has a lot to do with being explosive. In the latter, Johnson is exploding through the ball and not just trying to throw it based on arm strength alone. The emphasis on explosion helped Johnson put the pieces together in shot put, along with success from understanding the mechanics better.

“(The coaches) and I have really worked on the release, staying in form — all of it,” Johnson said. “Once I really started to understand it, I started throwing it real good.”

The state meet didn’t go quite as well for Johnson. In his three attempts, Johnson was called for a foul throw each time and didn’t manage to get a distance counted in the meet. Still, Johnson’s accomplishment of reaching the state meet surpassed what he had hoped for heading into this season.

“It was my first year on varsity and my first time at state, so it’s a great way to end my high school career,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s Lawrence career concluded on Saturday, but his athletic career will continue on the gridiron with Coffeyville Community College. After accomplishing his athletic goals at Lawrence, Johnson is off to make and hit new ones while playing linebacker with the Red Ravens.

photo by: Photo courtesy: Audrey Pope-Trowbridge

Jah’ir Johnson, third from left, poses with with ice cream alongside his Lawrence track and field teammates that qualified for state in downtown Lawrence on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.