Athletes of the Week: Johnson leads team to playoffs, Agate goes to state

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The votes are in. Powered by Copper Creek Contractors, Kyler Johnson of the Oakwood football team and Eliza Agate of the Mahomet-Seymour girls' tennis team are this week’s winners. Here they are, in their own words, with their biggest supporters — their teammates:

Kyler Johnson | Oakwood football

Why he’s Athlete of the Week: The Comets turned to Johnson time and time again in their 42-33 upset win at Salt Fork on Oct. 18, which clinched a playoff berth for the team. Johnson rushed 39 times for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the charge.

From Johnson: "I was pretty excited (to win Athlete of the Week). I was walking down the hallway, and my vice principal came up to me and told me I was up for it. After that, everybody started voting for me. ... We felt like we had to win that game to get playoff eligibility. They're our rival, so we gave it all we had. It feels good that the team can hand it off to me, but we also have a good group of receivers."

My favorite movie is ... "Fight Club."

My favorite music genre is ... old rock music or alternative rock. One of my favorite bands is The Smashing Pumpkins.

My favorite sports team is ... the Minnesota Timberwolves, and my favorite athlete if Anthony Edwards.

If I could have any superpower, it would be ... teleportation so I could go anywhere I want at any time.

My pre-game routine is ... I just try to lock in, listening to music and getting hyped up with some of my friends.

Our go-to post-win celebration is ... we get pizza afterward if the game is far away. If it's close, we'll go anywhere we're hungry for.

My biggest football superstition is ... a few weeks ago, I missed our team breakfast, and we ended up winning that game. Now, I sometimes don't go to the team breakfast, and we'll end up winning.

My favorite football memory is ... last year as a freshman, knowing I was going to start on varsity defense, that was fun. It felt pretty nice.

At the top of my bucket list is ... traveling all over the world. I would love to go to Europe or anywhere in Asia.

Athlete of the Week finalists: Reis Claybrooke, Mahomet-Seymour golf; Caleb Mathias, Champaign Central cross-country; Bo Zeleznik, LeRoy football

Eliza Agate | Mahomet-Seymour girls' tennis

Why she’s Athlete of the Week: Agate finished fourth in the singles bracket on Oct. 19 at the Class 1A Paris Sectional to advance to state and help lead the Bulldogs to a second straight sectional title. She finished her high school career with a 2-2 showing at state.

From Agate: "I was a little surprised to even see that I was nominated, but I was super happy, and it was super cool that I got the most votes. ... It was super awesome and exciting to win again. Our goal going into the weekend was to get as many of us to qualify for state as possible, and that's been my goal all season. We just left it all on the court, and it ended up working in our favor. The hard work we put in all season really paid off, and it was awesome to see it happen. ... I knew I had put in the work, and I knew I was ready for the occasion. To finally be there and have the chance to make it happen and then follow through was so satisfying and amazing."

My favorite movie is ... "Miracle."

My favorite music genre is ... pop, but I listen to a bit of everything.

My favorite athlete is ... Serena Williams.

If I could have any superpower, it would be ... teleportation. It'd be cool to go wherever I want whenever I want. Or on the tennis court, I could get to where I need to be to hit the ball.

My pre-match routine is ... every morning before my match, I have to braid my hair. I do two braids into one bun.

Our go-to post-win celebration is ... we usually listen to "All I Do Is Win" and have a little dance party on the bus.

My biggest tennis superstition is ... I never bounce the ball before I serve. I can't bounce the ball, or else it won't be good. I developed that halfway through the season, and it worked out.

My favorite tennis memory is ... winning conference or sectionals. Or this weekend at state has been super fun spending time with my team and getting two big wins.

At the top of my bucket list is ... I'm also a lacrosse player, and I'm committed to Marquette, so I want us to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Athlete of the Week finalists: Macy Danner, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin volleyball; Shae Ellis, Sullivan golf; Shannon Monahan, St. Thomas More volleyball