High School volleyball player Angel Johnson signs to play at Rend Lake College

CLARKTON, Mo. - Clarkton High School senior Angel Johnson signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Rend Lake College.

According to Johnson, the decision became pretty easy after meeting the coaching staff and taking a tour of Rend Lake’s campus in Ina, Illinois.

“The coach reached out after our season, and he thought I would make a good addition to his team,” Johnson said. “He was the coach that was the most invested in me, so I went and toured the campus and fell in love with the school. I am excited to start attending there.”

Ina, Illinois is a small village of about 1,640 people and 155 miles away from Clarkton, where Johnson grew up.

Clarkton’s head coach Amy Cowart has been coaching Johnson since grade school. This was a bittersweet moment to watch someone she considers a ‘second daughter’ move on out of Clarkton’s program.

“That’s like my own kid leaving,” Cowart said. “She’s best friends with my daughter who is also graduating, so it truly feels like I’m losing two daughters. She’s been over at our house more than anybody, we’ve taken her on vacations with us. She is basically one of my kids.”

Despite the bitterness of letting Johnson go, she is excited to see Johnson achieve her dreams and move on to play collegiate volleyball.

“This has been her goal since she’s picked up a volleyball,” Cowart said. “To see her reach that goal of playing at the next level is amazing. She’s worked so hard for it and I know she will be successful. It’s awesome to see her keep reaching those goals.”

As it goes, Cowart is handing the reigns of coaching Johnson over to Rend Lake’s head coach, Reggie Bateman.

Bateman said he knew there was something special about Johnson from the first moment he saw her play.

“The first thing I realized about Angel [Johnson] was her competitiveness, her skill set and the way she communicates,” Bateman said. “She’s always talking and never really gets down on herself. Watching her play, you’ll see she always has a positive attitude. Obviously, at the next level, you are always going to need that communication and someone who will always have a positive attitude.”

Bateman notes how he sees Johnson fitting any rotation on the floor.

He said with her skill set, she will be a good hitter for his program and will help out a lot on defense.

“I was looking for players who will make an immediate impact to our program,” Bateman said. “Regardless if they would play front row or back row. With her skill set, she can play outside, middle and back row, and she will push some other players on our team. Steel sharpens steel, and she will definitely help lift this program. Everyone I have met has told me she is a great kid.”

According to Cowart, Johnson is leaving a Clarkton program where she helped set a standard.

In her time with the Reindeer, Johnson broke a school record with 1,454 kills. She has the second most sets played in Missouri history with 433 total sets. She only sits behind her teammate, Brinley Cowart, who played 436 sets.

In her senior campaign, she was First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Districts and First Team All-State.

“This program is going to miss her,” Cowart said. “But she has left her mark on it. She is leaving a huge legacy for the kids coming in behind her. She is the standard in this gym.”

This was a bittersweet moment for Johnson as well, to leave a town and Reindeer family she has grown to love more than anything.

Yet, she finds joy and excitement in meeting new friends at Rend Lake.

“I’m gonna miss my girls,” Johnson said. “I’ve been missing them since the season ended, but I’m excited to get to know new people and create bonds with them and I can’t wait to see how that ends up.”