In the world of high school sports, athletes are assigned specific roles; on top of that, they're expected to find their way to fulfill the additional roles of being a leader or a playmaker.
It is rare to find a leader and high-caliber playmaker that is not a senior, but junior Karmen Johnson has been filling that role for two years straight.
Johnson was one of the most talented and consistent playmakers for the Lady Cardinals' basketball and softball teams last season. Her ability to play efficiently in clutch moments, take leadership of her team and expand her role beyond what she was asked to do by her coaches made one of the most reliable players for the two Lady Cardinal teams.
Johnson is the Camden News's girls athlete of the 2021-2022 year.
Johnson was one of the most reliable wings for the Lady Cardinals basketball team as she played shooting guard or small forward throughout the season. On the softball team, she was a stout outfielder and as well as one of the most consistent pitchers.
The Lady Cardinals finished the 2021-2022 high school basketball season with an overall record of 15-9 (9-5 in 4A-8 region play). While the Lady Cardinals had several high-volume playmakers throughout the season, Johnson's reliability stood out. She was one of the most tenacious three-point shooters in the South Arkansas region. She's also an aggressive scorer who drives to the basket and contends for rebounds. She finished the 2021-2022 season as an All-Conference selection.
In one of the earlier games of the season against the El Dorado Lady Wildcats, Johnson scored 14 points shooting 5-of-10 in field goals, including 4-of-9 from the three-point arc. She also accounted for four rebounds and one steal. Johnson was a player that would give the Lady Cardinals an extra boost on offense as she constantly accounted for offensive rebounds and finished plays with second chance buckets.
She also gave the Lady Cardinals a huge boost on the defensive end of the court, where she would lock down the opposing players in man-to-man coverage. Whenever the opposing offenses set a screen or switched zones, Johnson was there to quickly react to contest the shot or steal the ball.
Johnson's talent wasn't limited to the court, either. She started the 2022 season as one of the most talented and consistent outfielders for the Lady Cardinals softball team. Throughout the season, head coach Kendra Center needed Johnson to step up as one of the team's main pitchers. Johnson stepped into the role in a significant way as she helped guide the Lady Cardinals towards the top of the conference against high-caliber teams.
She was one of the most efficient batters this season as she got on base constantly and was a consistent base runner. Johnson was one of the more reliable pitchers for the Lady Cardinals before and after she was inserted into more starting roles.
Last year, Johnson was named to the 4A-8 region All-Conference team. This past season, she stepped up her game as she was named to the 4A All-State team for her dynamic playmaking abilities on offense and defense. Johnson will look to get even better in both sports when she becomes a senior with the two Lady Cardinal teams.
Photo By: Michael Hanich Camden Fairview pitcher Karmen Johnson gets ready to throw a pitch in the game against Warren.