Skyview’s Carter Johnson is the Gatorade state player of the year in boys soccer … again.
The senior became the second Washington player to win the honor in consecutive years since Gatorade began the award for soccer players in 1986. Eastlake’s Nick Downing won the honor in 1997-98.
Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound forward, led the Storm to 15-0-3 record and into the Class 4A state tournament. He has scored 24 goals and added seven assists this season. He was the 2013 Class 4A Greater St. Helens League MVP and The Columbian’s All-Region player of the year.
“Carter Johnson always creates problems for us,” said Roland Minder, coach of league rival Camas. “He is physical when that is an advantage. But he’s also a wily player, sitting off the back shoulder of a defender and timing on free kicks and crosses perfectly to get on the finishing end. He’s the one player that Skyview cannot be without.”
Johnson has a 3.71 GPA. As a member of Skyview High’s Science, Math and Technology Program, he has volunteered locally at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center as a peer tutor and as part of a fundraising campaign to benefit Make-A-Wish America.
He has signed a national letter of intent to play soccer for Chico State next year. He’ll be back in action with the Storm on Thursday at Doc Harris Stadium as they face Puyallup in the 4A bi-district playoffs.
In addition to Johnson, other Clark County soccer players to have been selected Gatorade’s Washington state player of the year for soccer include Nick Palodichuk (2010) and Brent Richards (2008), both from Camas.
Johnson is the third Clark County athlete to win a Gatorade state honor this school year, joining in Camas’ Reilly Hennessey for football and Alexa Efraimson, who was also selected Gatorade’s national athlete of the year for cross country.
