“Toe touches! Lunges! High Knees!”

Corona del Sol’s cross-country team starts their running workout with dynamic stretching. Senior Zachary Johnson is leading them.

The Aztecs have a handful of other seniors on the cross-country team, but Johnson has set himself apart from the others. He is the fastest runner on the team and in his senior year has taken the reigns of leading his teammates in almost everything they do. 

There are many different characteristics of leaders in sports. Some are vocal, outspoken, charismatic. Johnson has taken a different approach. He is reserved and isn’t the loudest person in practice. But he leads by example. 

Pat Smith, who has coached the boys team for 22 years, has seen Johnson develop in their four years together.

“He’s a leader by example,” Smith said. “He not real vocal, he’s a quiet guy. If you see him doing any of the workouts, he does it hard, he works his tail off.”

“He leads by example, he’s one of the first ones here and one of the last ones to leave,” said girls head coach Brian Crane.

Johnson began sports early in his childhood. This is when his passion for running began. 

“In middle school he joined the cross-country team and did very well,” said his mother, Kristi Johnson. “He had a great coach who made it fun, and he was finally able to beat his older brother. After that it just seemed to click for him, and that’s where he focused all his effort.”

Zachary Johnson says competition is something that drives him internally, along with the desire to constantly improve. His work ethic is praised by all those around him. 

Smith said Johnson’s work ethic is matched by none other on the team. 

“I remember him being a solid freshman, but then he took a step up sophomore year, and as a junior he was our No. 1. And as a senior he’s our No. 1 guy,” said Smith. “He’s a super hard worker. He runs a ton of miles, more than anybody that we have on the team. It’s all attributed to his hard work.”

Zachary Johnson has seen his personal record in the 5,000 meters jump from 18 minutes, 22 seconds, as a freshman, to 16.03 as a senior.  

Crane said Johnson always likes to do more.

“By far our hardest worker, he always does extra, always,” Crane said. “If he doesn’t do extra at practice it means he did extra on his own the night before or in the morning and it shows because he’s doing so well.”

Zachary Johnson was determined to be a leader on the team. He looked up to the seniors when he was a freshman and says they played a big part in shaping his own leadership skills. His goal was to be a role model to the underclassmen in the same way those seniors were to him.

“As a freshman I remember the seniors on the team being leaders," he said. I want to be someone who the freshmen can look up to and be a role model."

Despite his reserved demeanor, he was easily able to take charge of the team. 

“Seeing him take charge of the boys team this year, I wasn’t sure what to expect because he is quiet,” Crane said. “From the get-go this summer, we had our training which is voluntary, he came in and he took control the first day and starts the drills. He does everything we ask and it’s great when your best runner does everything you ask and more.” 

Zachary Johnson attributes his role models to giving him a clear path to follow. They showed him that working hard pays off. His mother claims the people around him were able to shape his work ethic. 

“He had some great role models from previous years who showed him that putting in the extra time and miles pays off,” said Kristi Johnson.