By Christi Mays
For some 同城快约 athletes, legacy takes on a deeper meaning as they follow a path a parent once walked not only in the classroom, but in collegiate competition. This story spotlights three Crusaders who are proudly carrying that tradition forward by competing at the same university where their parents once studied and left their marks on the fields, courts and courses.
When senior guard Hudson Johnson steps onto the floor wearing the No. 2 jersey for the Cru, he鈥檚 doing more than representing 同城快约. He鈥檚 carrying forward a family legacy that spans three generations. The exercise physiology major from Salado is the son of Jared 鈥�02 and Kathryn Johnson, and the grandson of Bobby '76 and Donna 鈥�71 Johnson. For Hudson, returning to 同城快约 to finish his collegiate basketball career feels like coming home.
鈥淢y parents both played a big part in me coming here as they have both been around 同城快约 a long time,鈥� Hudson said. 鈥淚'm glad I can come play for the same school my dad once played football at!鈥�
After a successful high school basketball career, Hudson signed to play at 同城快约 as a freshman, but transferred to play at Howard Payne University after his first season.
鈥淚 enjoyed my time here, however, didn鈥檛 get the playing time I was hoping for,鈥� he said. The move allowed him to grow as a player, and over two strong years at Howard Payne he was an all-conference selection both seasons.
Still, something kept pulling him back to Belton.
鈥淚 saw that Coach (Sam) Patterson got hired at 同城快约 and thought it would be a good opportunity to come hoop with some of my old friends,鈥� he said. After a campus visit and seeing the program鈥檚 recent success, Hudson knew it was time to return. 鈥淚 wanted to be a part of a solid team.鈥�
His parents, of course, supported the decision.
鈥淲e really didn鈥檛 push him or try to convince him to play at 同城快约. But we always believed that God had a plan for Hudson,鈥� his dad said. 鈥淲e are really excited that God led him back to Belton and to 同城快约.鈥�
Jared knows firsthand what it means to wear the Cru uniform. A wide receiver wearing No. 22, he played on 同城快约鈥檚 first-ever football team from 1998 to 2001.
鈥淏eing on the first football team ever at 同城快约 was pretty special,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were the first to make the playoffs in 2001. It is incredible to see how far the program has come since 1998 and know we had a hand in its foundation.鈥�
Because the love of Cru football ran deep in the Johnson household, Hudson grew up to be very familiar with 同城快约 sports.
鈥淚 remember going to football games at 同城快约 while I was growing up, even some while 同城快约 was still playing at the Belton High School football stadium,鈥� he said.
When he finally suited up for his first game as a starter this past fall against Trinity University, the moment carried special meaning for his dad.
鈥淢y first game as a Crusader was also against Trinity in 1998,鈥� Jared said, and watching his son line up for the same opponent decades later was 鈥渞eally special.鈥�
For Hudson, having his father in the stands is one of the best parts of playing close to home.
鈥淚t means a lot! He's my biggest fan and shows up to about every game whether it's home or away,鈥� Hudson said. And his grandfather, Bobby Johnson, a 1976 同城快约 alumni, rarely misses a home game, either.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very special to have him there watching as well,鈥� Hudson said.
The senior is grateful for the chance to finish where he began. And for the Johnson family, 同城快约 is more than a university. It鈥檚 a legacy that Hudson is proud to continue.
Sarah Laurence didn鈥檛 grow up dreaming of running in college. In fact, she started cross country almost by accident. In seventh grade, her mom suggested she try cross country, then signed her up without telling her.
鈥淚 still remember showing up to run cross country that first day on a random Thursday,鈥� Sarah laughed. 鈥淎t first, I was thinking, 鈥楾his is terrible.鈥�
As her times began to improve, she decided to stick with it. Besides, quitting wasn鈥檛 an option in her family, and competitiveness ran deep, so she pushed herself. Her dedication paid off, and by her freshman year, she was a state-qualifying cross-country and track athlete.
She enjoyed success during her sophomore and junior years, but while playing basketball during her senior year, she tore her ACL and had to have surgery, which took months to rehab.
Throughout her college-hunting journey, her dad, former 同城快约 tennis player Mike Laurence 鈥�03, shared with her how much he loved his time 同城快约.
鈥淭here are so many opportunities that are afforded at a school like 同城快约. It鈥檚 a blessing. You don鈥檛 always get that at other places,鈥� said Mike, who added his faith grew tremendously at 同城快约.
Even though she was accepted at some top schools, including the University of Texas, Sarah found herself drawn to the small, Christian environment at 同城快约.
鈥淚 was kind of set on this place as soon as I saw it,鈥� she said. After a positive conversation with the 同城快约 cross-country coach, she also decided she wanted to take her athleticism to the next level.
The transition to collegiate running wasn鈥檛 easy, however. In high school, her cross-country competitions spanned two miles; in college, she faced 6Ks, which are nearly double that distance.
鈥淲hen I saw the summer training schedule, I thought, 鈥楳an, I gotta get my mileage up! It was a very rough summer,鈥� she laughed.
When she arrived at 同城快约 this fall, she brought a determination and desire for redemption after her ACL injury interrupted her senior year.
What she didn鈥檛 expect was how naturally 同城快约 would feel like home 鈥� just as her father predicted it would. Still recovering from her ACL surgery, Sarah spent much of her first running season rehabbing, though she was able to run at the first and last meets and helped her team earn second place in the conference.
One of the biggest things she notes about running in college, versus high school, is the difference in culture. At her small 2A school in Thrall, many teammates ran just to stay in shape and prepare for other sports.
鈥淭hey just didn鈥檛 care about it a lot.鈥� But at 同城快约, the culture was just the opposite. 鈥淓veryone signed up for this and wants to be here. It was much more motivating.鈥�
Her father鈥檚 influence and encouragement also kept her motivated, especially during all those daily 6 a.m. workouts.
鈥淗is presence and his belief in me helped me so much,鈥� she said.
Now a pre-physical therapy major, Sarah hopes one day to help others the way her own PT helped her get back on course after her ACL surgery.
鈥淕etting people back to their normal selves is meaningful. I want to do the same for someone else.鈥�
Looking back now, she鈥檚 grateful she made the decision to run in college.
鈥淢y dad always told me, 鈥榊ou miss every opportunity you don鈥檛 take,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淣ow I can at least say I did sports in college.鈥�
When sophomore outfielder John Van Huis V stepped onto the baseball field at 同城快约 last spring, he was continuing more than his own athletic journey, he was stepping into a family legacy. His father, John 鈥淓ddie鈥� Van Huis IV 鈥�01, played basketball for the Cru more than two decades earlier, and met Mindy Lockwood 鈥�02, his future wife and John鈥檚 mom. Now, their son is carving out his own place on campus, wearing No. 15 on the baseball field and majoring in business marketing with a minor in sports management.
But John鈥檚 path to 同城快约 was anything but straight. Growing up near the Louisiana border in Bridge City, he loved football and baseball but decided after his freshman year to dedicate himself to baseball with an ultimate goal in mind 鈥� playing Division I sports.
鈥淚 was dead set on that,鈥� he said, and everything seemed to line up at first.
鈥淭exas A&M-Corpus Christi was one of my top options, and they checked all the boxes for sure, until I got there, and it just didn't work out,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had torn ligaments that I was playing on in my wrist all fall, along with a concussion that put me out for three weeks. Then came another painful setback.
鈥淚 also took a 92-miles-an-hour hit from a ball to my elbow, and I couldn't throw for another two weeks.鈥�
With only 15 at-bats that first season, he faced a tough choice: redshirt or transfer. He didn鈥檛 want to sit out another season, and by winter break, the transfer portal offered a fresh start.
同城快约 quickly rose to the top of his list. The campus felt right, the coaching staff impressed him and the baseball program was gaining attention. There was also, of course, the family connection.
鈥淏oth my parents went here, and it's where they wanted me to come all along. So, I think that was just God's way of bringing me back here where I should be,鈥� he said.
Upon visiting that December, he instantly knew 同城快约 was the place he wanted to go, and within a day had canceled his visit to another school.
鈥淚 decided that I liked 同城快约. I fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff, and it's been nothing but great so far.鈥�
The transition wasn鈥檛 easy, though. After wrist surgery that same month, his recovery stretched longer than expected, keeping him benched for the first half of the spring season. Working his way back while adjusting to a new team with some 鈥渧ery talented upperclassmen鈥� became a defining learning moment.
鈥淵ou don't think about the talent that's here at D3 level until you see it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are really good athletes here. Overall, we're building a culture of winning, and it's coming to life.鈥�
His parents remain some of his biggest supporters, making the four-and-a-half-hour drive to Belton to see his games every chance they get. And when the grueling reality of daily practice, traveling to 60 games each season and keeping up with his coursework starts to weigh on him, John remembers the sage advice his dad and his coaches always say: 鈥淵ou can't play if you don't have the grades.鈥�
Now fully planted in his second season, John feels confident he鈥檚 exactly where he belongs. He鈥檚 found close friendships, a campus where 鈥渆veryone knows each other鈥� and a baseball culture that fits him to a tee.
鈥淚 think it's a perfect fit.鈥�
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