Outside of academics and athletics, Inglewood senior Kasahn Johnson volunteers at his former preschool (Amanda Scurlock/L.A. Sentinel)

Inglewood senior Kasahn Johnson is creating an impressive campaign on defense this season. He has racked up 50 solo tackles and 24 assisted tackles in a span of ten games. His efforts have helped the Sentinels go into the playoffs with a perfect 10-0 record. 

“I feel like us having winning seasons helps the community,” Johnson said. “Everyone comes to our home games, everybody’s happy to see us play.” 

Johnson enjoys winning with his teammates and witnessing them make plays throughout the season. As a senior, he knows that he must compete at a high level at every game to have a future in the sport.  

Johnson also has experience on offense; during his junior year, he accumulated 212 reception yards and scored two touchdowns. In his third year of varsity play, Johnson knows how to advise his younger teammates.  

“I’ve been playing longer, technically, in high school,” Johnson said. “I could give some of my insight to everyone.” 

A major lesson that he learned from coaches is to persevere.  

“I feel like that’s a big thing in football because not everything could go your way,” Johnson said. “You got to keep your head on a straight path and just do what you have to do.” 

After dealing with wins and losses, Johnson watches film to see how he can fix his own mistakes and improve. While he plays several positions on the field, his favorite is safety.  

“I could see everything, the safety is like the quarterback of the defense,” Johnson said. “We can call everything for everyone. When somebody needs help or needs to know the coverage, we let them know.” 

For Johnson being a student athlete means that academics is key to a future in football. 

“Take care of business in the classroom, so I could ultimately play in college,” he said. “Without the grades, you can’t play anywhere. I prioritize school over athletics.” 

In order to balance academics with athletics, Johnson works on his assignments before he takes the field. Johnson noted that his favorite class is government. 

“I try to take care of business first, then do all the things I want to do after,” Johnson said. “I may be late, I’ll just take the consequences but my grades matter more.”