Kevon Johnson leads undefeated Robbinsdale Armstrong into

playoff push after big win over Andover

by Malik Mitchell

The Robbinsdale Armstrong Falcons are on a 9-0 run for the first time since 2019 with their confidence still soaring a game removed from their week eight shootout victory over the Andover Huskies 57-56.

“It was a great high school game, and it was wild,” said head coach Jack Negen (who was named High School coach of the week by the Minnesota Vikings in week 5). “I haven’t been in many like that and it was just kind of a shootout with two really good teams.”

Armstrong senior running back Kevon Johnson scored FIVE touchdowns and ran for 309 yards on 34 carries. Last season, they lost to the Andover 37-20 in the Class 5A Quarterfinals where Johnson only managed 46 yards on 18 carries without scoring any touchdowns.

“I had adrenaline and revenge because they took away our season last year,” Johnson said. “It was a lot of anticipation coming into this game and trying to prove to myself that I can play against big teams like this.”

Kevon Johnson has been a hard running back to catch, averaging 9.7 yards per carry and 207 yards per game. LPF PHOTO BY JEFF ANDERSON

Johnson scored a 3-yard touchdown in double overtime that tied the game at 56 and lined up junior Noah Miller for the game-winning extra point.

The high-scoring thriller led both teams to combine for 113 points and 16 touchdowns with over 1,000 total yards. The Falcons converted four of their touchdowns on 4th-down conversions.

“We knew they were going to score and with that short week, it’s kind of tough to prepare for some of the stuff they do,” Negen said. “They’re super talented but I wasn’t going to take the air out of the ball and not score that’s for sure.”

BIG PLAYS ARE NOTHING NEW FOR THE FALCONS. ABOVE, LUKE WEISJAHN BRINGS IN A PASS FROM DAWSON FRANKE IN THE FALCONS WIN AGAINST HASTINGS. PHOTO BY JEF ANDERSON

“We got some breaks, but we got some kids that make plays. We had Kevon and a little extra in the pocket there,” Negen said. “We got in overtime, and we said we’re just going to go for it and have some fun with it.”

Junior quarterback Joseph Mapson kept the Huskies in the game racking up 218 passing yards and touchdowns with 144 rushing yards for two touchdowns. Mapson scored his sixth touchdown on a 10-yard QB keeper before Johnson’s game-winning touchdown.

“Everybody competed. It was a great game,” Mapson said. “It didn’t go our way, but I feel like everybody went out and competed and had fun.”

The win was a huge boost for the Falcons as playoffs loomed and are now here.

On Oct. 26, Armstrong beat No. 4 St. Louis Park 46-15 in the Section 5 Semifinals after earning the No. 1 seed in the Section 5AAAAA bracket. The Falcons put on several high-scoring performances averaging 44 points a game.

Dawson Franke has been stellar under center with 11 passing touchdowns and also four rushing touchdowns. He averages 8.8 yards per carry. LPF PHOTO BY JEFF ANDERSON

Johnson has been a standout running back for the Falcons who rank No. 1 in rushing touchdowns and No. 3 in rushing yards in the state. His 9.7 yards per carry and 207 average yards per game have helped the team to a No. 4 ranking in Class 5A.

The Falcons (9-0) play cross-town rival Robbinsdale Cooper (8-1) for the Class 5A Section 5 Championship game at home on Nov. 1. Armstrong defeated Cooper in the Section Championship last season 49-14 and have taken the last two section championships.

They will look for another big game form their big senior back. Kevon Johnson, for one, isn’t ready for their season to come to an end.

“Like Kobe Bryant said, the job is not finished. There is a lot of more games to go,” Johnson said. “We’re just trying to get through each one of them and finally make it to the bank and celebrate at the end.”