Hayden Johnson: Stellar on and off the lacrosse field

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands High School lacrosse "A" team is off to a 3-0 start having defeated Southlake High School this past weekend.

Two things are guaranteed when the subject is TWHS lacrosse. Head Coach Anthony Demaio and his coaches will develop winners on and off the field. You have to be a high character person to play for The Woodlands.

This week's profile fits that description perfectly. Junior defenseman, Hayden Johnson is a solid player who continues to improve daily. Off the field he's a class act. When Hayden moved to The Woodlands in 7th grade, he could be seen at McCullough Junior High School playing wall-ball getting better and better every day. One day Hayden saw what looked like a new player trying to learn the game by himself. Hayden introduced himself and immediately started doing drills with the new player. Scooping, catching, throwing, dodging and more. This went on all summer and it took away from his own workout.
When you look up the word "selfless" in the dictionary, you'll see Hayden's picture. This alone qualified Johnson to be The Woodlands Online Profile of the Week.

Let's learn more about Hayden Johnson...

How long have you been playing lacrosse?
I have been playing lacrosse for about 10 years, and every year has been very eventful to this very moment. I was introduced to lacrosse by my older brother, who sadly doesn't play any more. When I grew up, I played football along with lacrosse. Lacrosse became my number one sport my freshman year as I wanted to focus on getting recruited for college. I thought having a second sport was going to weigh me down and take me away from developing my game.

How does the 2025 lacrosse team look?

The team is probably one of the best I've seen since I moved here my 7th grade year. Everyone is very talented and we honestly have team chemistry like you'd see on a college team. When it's time to practice, everyone locks in on both sides of the ball. When it's game time, we are more than ready. I think this year out of any other year I have played for The Woodlands, we can go all the way and win state.

Do you like going to The Woodlands High School?
I think TWHS is a great school. The sports culture is amazing and the academics are second to none.

What are your plans for college? Currently, I am looking at schools like Long Island University, Marist University, and some of the NESCAC league schools. I don't have a major in mind, but I would like to study something along the lines of pre-med and eventually work in the medical field.

What do you enjoy doing away from lacrosse and school?
I enjoy hanging out with my friends on the weekend and watching movies with my family from time to time.

Do you have a lacrosse role model?
My role model for lacrosse is Ajax Zappitello because I feel like he and I play the same style of defense and that really drives me to be like him.

Deacribe the support you get from your family in everything to do in life. My family, no matter what happens or what I decide to do, they will always support me through anything and everything that comes up in life. They support me through my sports and academics. One thing in particular is encourage me to talk to the coaches whenever I have a question. This applies to teachers as well. They do not talk to the coaches at all. They say it's good practice for a young person to interact with adults every opportunity that comes up.

If you had a million dollars and had to donate it to one charity, which one would it be?
If I had a million dollars I would donate it to a charity that would help with research into pancreatic cancer because my aunt died a little under a year ago from pancreatic cancer and it really took a big toll on me. When someone finds out they have pancreatic cancer, it's almost all the time too late.

Head Coach Anthony Demaio talks about Hayden...
"Hayden has been awesome to start the year. Making big plays in key situations and doing what the team needs to win. The first day we came back in January he had a different attitude and aura about him...Locked in and ready to do what it takes to win. He has really matured as a person and player within the last five months and he is doing a great job as a leader on this team. I am really excited to keep seeing him evolve over the next three months as this team tries to accomplish their goals with him at the forefront."

Johnson's overall lacrosse game improves every day as his work ethic is unmatched. That is important, but what's more important is how Hayden has developed as a person.

Last summer, I was at McCullough working out near Hayden. I overheard something that was heartwarming coming from Hayden. He was with a couple intermediate school kids showing them a wall-ball drill. One of the young players was making fun of the other's stuttering. I saw Hayden jump right in and tell the kid that making fun of another person is not acceptable.

Will The Woodlands High School lacrosse team vye for a state championship this year? Chances are good.

What you CAN take to the bank with you is the team will be filled with good people.

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