Ferguson: A silent leader on field and court

MOSES LAKE — During last Tuesday’s basketball matchups for Moses Lake Christian Academy/Christian Covenant School Lions at the Den, senior Johnny Ferguson was honored for making the 2025 All-State 1B First Team as an All-Purpose athlete for football. Johnny said he has been a lifelong athlete and strives to push himself even further as he finishes his senior season. 

“I just like improving, it’s a good feeling,” said Johnny. “I like training and my parents are always pushing me and telling me to believe in myself.” 

In his elementary school days, Johnny spent a lot of time playing soccer and basketball with his friends. While soccer was his main sport at the time, Johnny said his passion shifted from soccer to basketball after joining the MLCA/CCS middle school basketball team in sixth grade. 

Johnny played basketball all throughout his middle school career and once he reached high school, he transitioned onto the varsity squad. 

Lions Basketball Head Coach Emerson Ferguson said he had first heard about Johnny’s abilities from the middle school coaches who spoke highly of him. Once he was on the team, the coach saw signs of that excellence, which he then saw grow over his sophomore and junior seasons. 

“I didn’t play that much, and it was rough; I was still learning,” Johnny said. “But then I trained a lot in the off-season and into my sophomore year and then I just got better from there.” 

Once in his sophomore year, the high school football program had also begun at MLCA/CCS. Johnny said he had played catch with his friends growing up, so he decided to join the team that fall and immediately began shaping himself to be competitive in yet another sport. 

“I would like to think that I’m pretty athletic,” said Johnny.  

That season, Johnny started out as a receiver on the team and would have continued down that route, but in his junior season, he had to transition into the quarterback position after the starting quarterback, James Robertson, got injured. 

“They were training me as a backup if James got injured so they just threw me in there and I had to learn over the season and got better every game,” he said.  

The Lions finished their first year in the Central Washington B League 7-2 and the following year 5-5. As he entered his senior season, Johnny said he had no worries about his time with the team coming to an end and was just focused on having a fun ride with his teammates. 

During Johnny’s senior year, the team had their best season, going 9-3 and making it into the first round of the state tournament. For his efforts in his senior season, the Coach’s Association voted him onto the All-State team as an All-Purpose athlete, which is awarded to players who were shown to be versatile on the field. 

“Not quite as a quarterback, a running back or a receiver, but one that can do all three,” said Lions Football Head Coach and Athletics Director Josh Kast. “He’s got that dual threat being a runner and a passer, which is something we didn’t expect to have.” 

Kast said the Lions were built around Johnny’s offensive abilities throughout this season. Over the course of the season, Johnny earned over 1400 yards and 25 touchdowns passing and rushing. 

The abilities shown by Johnny throughout his football career with the Lions were exponential to both the team’s success and the growth of the program as a whole, said Kast. With the 16-man squad they were running against teams of 20-30 players, it was key to have someone with Johnny’s abilities helping out wherever it was needed. 

“You get one kid like Johnny out there, and they know that they have confidence in him and that they have a chance to go out there and get a win,” said Kast. 

With the football season behind him Johnny immediately turned his focus to training for basketball. Johnny said the transition from football to basketball is difficult, but he and his teammates clicked into place and trained themselves up to where they needed to be. 

During this year’s season opener, Johnny hit a major personal milestone in his basketball career by hitting 1,000 points. From there, he has continued to add onto that point total as he has been sinking threes and making dunks with the help of his teammates. 

Coach Ferguson said the coolest aspect of his coaching experience with Johnny is how coachable he has been and how well he responds to what is asked of him, and his talent and character have been great additions to the team over the last four years. 

“He’s got a great sense of humor and he really loves the game of basketball,” he said. “Which makes it nice for me because I really love the game of basketball and I love being able to teach the game of basketball to someone who loves the game.” 

On the court, Johnny brings an elite level of athletic ability and skill, said Coach Ferguson. In his five years as head coach, he said there has not been a player with quite the same level of skill that Johnny has displayed and executed that talent on the court consistently. 

“It looks so easy when he does it,” said Coach Ferguson. “I’ve never coached a player like him, it’s hard to even put in words.”  

Johnny is still battling through the basketball season as he has helped lead the team to be 14-1. Johnny said this year has been great for MLCA/CCS as they started out their season on a 13-game win streak and have been explosive on both sides of the ball and are working on taking that momentum as they head into the final weeks of the regular season. 

From the start of his freshman season to the final weeks of the regular season as a senior, Coach Ferguson said Johnny has shown consistent growth and gaining more maturity and experience as this season continues.  

“I would say I’ve been truly blessed to have such a player and it’s been great to just watch it unfold these past few years,” he said.  

Both football and basketball coaches described Johnny as a quiet leader who leads the team by example. 

“He lets his actions speak for themself,” said Kast. “He brings his teammates up, but never that cocky attitude at all. He just goes out there and plays his role on the team and wants to see his teammates succeed as well.” 

The team dynamic for the Lions has always felt like being part of a family as they have great teamwork, all while having fun in the game, said Johnny. The players are given multiple opportunities to bond outside of playing their sport, whether it be through team dinners or just hanging out as a group of friends. 

“I’ve been with most of these guys since middle school and just practicing every day and playing in games, building our chemistry, that’s been the best part,” he said.  

Following his high school career, Johnny said he wants to continue playing basketball as he heads into college. He hasn’t decided what college he wants to attend so far, but career-wise, he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a career in construction management. 

Looking back on his sports career, he said it has been a great journey and that athletics have helped develop him into who he is today. 

“It helps because it’s always competitive and it teaches you how to work hard, so you can bring that into life,” said Johnny. 

    Lions senior Johnny Ferguson prepares to shoot a free throw during a previous home game this season. Johnny hit a personal milestone earlier this season as he hit 1,000 career points.
  

    Johnny Ferguson, a MLCA/CCS senior goes in to dunk the ball during a rivalry matchup against Wilson Creek earlier in the season. Ferguson has been an offensive force on the court as he has made multiple dunks and threes throughout the season.
  

    During the 2025 football season, Johnny Ferguson (5) bursts out of the pocket and looks for an opening on Lions Field. Johnny began his football career alongside the start of the MLCA/CCS football program during his sophomore year.
  

    Johnny Ferguson, a senior with the Lions, looks down the field during a matchup in the 2025 season. Johnny has been described as a silent leader by his coaches who leads his team by example.