2023 All-Tidewater Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Kellam’s JaShyra Johnson made triumphant return

VIRGINIA BEACH — During a club soccer practice late in October 2021, Kellam senior JaShyra Johnson fell over a goalkeeper and landed hard on her rear end.

She persisted through the pain for a month but eventually an X-ray revealed she had a lumbar spinal fracture.

Johnson described the next five months of rehabbing her injury as “excruciatingly long,” and she missed the first eight games of her junior season.

“It was a lot of rehab, a lot of PT,” Johnson said. “You really suffer watching your teammates grow and advance and just playing together. Watching in silence is a really tough thing to go through, but once you get back on the field and start playing again it’s like you’ve never left.”

Johnson returned to the field last season, scoring seven goals, but fully healthy this season as a senior she excelled. Johnson led the Knights in scoring and was the driving force in Kellam’s unbeaten regular season and the top of the 757Teamz Top 15.

Johnson, the 2023 All-Tidewater Girls Soccer Player of the Year, helped the Knights dominate opponents, outscoring foes 74-3.

“From COVID, to my spinal fracture, to this year, it’s amazing to go from getting nothing year after year to going out with most of the top awards that a player can be named with,” said Johnson, also the Class 6 Region A Player of the Year. “They were on my list for my goals this year so I’m extremely happy to be given them. It would’ve been great to go out with the state title as well, but you can’t win them all.”

Kellam went 10-0 in the Beach District and entered postseason 17-0 on a string of 12 consecutive shutouts. But the Knights fell 1-0 in the region championship game against Cosby and lost in penalty kicks after a scoreless tie in a Class 6 quarterfinal to eventual state champion Colgan.

Johnson led the Knights in scoring with 14 goals and tallied a team-best in 30 points.

“Last year she came back after the break, she contributed, but I don’t think she was at her best,” Kellam coach Mario Hurdle said. “This year I told her she’s the fittest she’s ever been, staying focused and doing little things well and trusting herself, myself and her team. … She was healthy both physically, mentally she felt good about herself. She scored some big-time goals for us this year and I think people noticed that.”

Hurdle said whenever Johnson was “on” throughout the year he knew things would go well for the team.

“JaShyra had a great year and we had a great year as a team,” Hurdle said. “I’ve been around for a long time and I’ve seen players and I’ve seen teams and I felt that she was the most impactful player. And as a forward, dangerous. We faced a lot of players, and there’s a lot of good players in our area. I think everybody was cautious of playing J.”

Johnson has now turned her attention to playing college ball at Radford. Her college career will begin when Radford faces off with William & Mary in an exhibition match on Aug. 6.

Hurdle said he knew when we first saw Johnson play in middle school that she had a chance to be special. While Johnson is excited to take her talents to the collegiate level, leaving Kellam behind will be “bittersweet” and she hopes the impact she leaves behind is a lasting one.

“I hope I left the girls with that impression that no matter how many hurdles life throws your way, if you want to become a top player you have to overcome them,” Johnson said. “That life lesson just comes with the experience of being a senior player with a laundry list of injuries throughout the years, but I seriously hope they always keep fighting to be the best they can be. On and off the field.”

Michael Sauls, 757-803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com

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All-Tidewater Girls Soccer Player of the Year

2023 – JaShyra Johnson, Kellam

2022 – Karleigh Minson, First Colonial

2021 – Karleigh Minson, First Colonial

2020 – Season was canceled because of the pandemic

2019 – Kaylee Kozlowski, Kellam

2018 – Idelys Vazquez, First Colonial

2017 – Star White, Maury

2016 – Star White, Maury

2015 – Darby Moore, Maury

2014 – Alani Johnson, Cape Henry

2013 – Alani Johnson, Cape Henry

2012 – Brittany Krause, Cox

2011 – Jessie Klamut, Cox

2010 – Jessie Klamut, Cox

2009 – Emory Camper, Cox

2008 – Brittany Michels, Kellam

2007 – Kristen Carden, Cox

2006 – Liza Woodward, Cox

2005 – Chichi Nweke, Princess Anne

2004 – Meredyth Gehrig, Cox

2003 – Kristen Furlough, Kellam

2002 – Amanda Swiader, Cox

2001 – Amanda Swiader, Cox

2000 – Mindy Nixon, Princess Anne

1999 – Sally Harrison, Kempsville

1998 – Amy Caddies, Princess Anne

1997 – Lauren Rafal, Kempsville

1996 – Angela Hucles, Norfolk Academy

1995 – Angela Hucles, Norfolk Academy

1994 – Angela Hucles, Norfolk Academy

1993 – Amy Rosenbaum, First Colonial