St. Francis forward Jake Johnson has had a career full of ups and downs.

The 6-8 senior started on varsity as a sophomore, when the Saints won only nine games. His junior season, the team won 17. And as of Feb. 13, St. Francis already had won 19.

“I think the growth has been shown within the maturity of the players and within the win column,” Johnson said.

While Johnson has had remarkable performances — a 30-point game against Totino-Grace last season included a three-pointer buzzer-beater and eight points in overtime — his team failed to make the state tournament last season as the No. 1 seed.

But even when Johnson played one of his self-proclaimed worst games of his high school career last Thursday, he still had a mother and her young son tell him afterward that they had attended most of his games because he is their favorite player.

“He wanted a picture, and he said how proud he was of me and all that kind of stuff,” Johnson said. “And it was kind of cool looking at how much support I had after such a rough night.”

Q: What is it like to have grown with this team over three seasons?

A: We struggled together as 10th-graders. We were on the court when we won [just] nine games and none of that was fun. … When we were younger, we had kind of seen the big picture. We’d seen where we were heading, and we knew where we wanted to be. And looking back now, we’re where we want to be, but we still have a ways to go.

Q: How has the team kept that momentum going into this year?

A: We got upset in the [section] by Andover [last year]. We were the 1 seed, and we were predicted to go to state last year. … We had never been in a big moment. Before that, we were the team that was supposed to get the upset. We were never the team that was expected to have this big year.

Q: What will be the difference for you this time around, since you’re averaging more than 20 points and eight rebounds a game?

A: I developed a feel for the game. I think last year, I kind of at times would try to force it too much. I would try to isolate myself, and I didn’t really play as much of the team aspect of the game as I have this year.

Q: Do you feel any pressure being your team’s catalyst?

A: I really don’t look at it like I’m the X-factor, I guess. I look at it as I’m the leading scorer on a team that just sets me up for success. … I think without me on the team, the team would be a good team. … You’ve got to perform in the big games, but I think that’s the fun part about it. … To have a lot of pressure in high school, it’s kind of a blessing because it kind of sets you up for life. You’re going to have pressure in life, so I think that’s kind of cool that I get to face that kind of adversity in high school.

Q: What has it been like working out with Champlin Park’s Ian Smith ahead of playing together at Northern State next year?

A: We didn’t really know each other too well, but when we both committed, we got to know each other. We both committed there kind of because we thought we’d play together. He’s a pass-first point guard, and I’m a scoring power forward. So us two are kind of a one-two punch, we’re hoping, at Northern State. ... I’m real looking forward to coming out that first couple weeks and kind of showing the team that I am going to fit in with that team and the players. And that with the style of game that I play, I think it’ll be fun for Aberdeen fans and the players themselves.

MEGAN RYAN