Photo by Brian Jeremiason Minneota Vikings head coach Chad Johnston on the sidelines making a call during the football season this past year.

Picture this.

You’re standing in U.S. Bank Stadium, watching the time go down envisioning winning another state championship. Not only do you win the championship, but you also win your 200th career game.

This vision became a reality on Dec. 2 for Minneota Vikings head coach Chad Johnston.

“It means I’ve been doing this a long time,” Johnston said of his accomplishment jokingly. “It is a milestone because of how many years it took us to get there. The impact of it is that our program has been successful. I don’t remember much about the 100th win, except we beat Lakeview. The state championship is the most important thing for the kids, but to get 200 [by] winning a state championship is pretty cool.”

Just a week earlier, the Vikings survived a semifinal game versus the Fillmore Central Falcons, 28-27. The Falcons converted a fourth-and-27 for 35 yards before the Vikings got stops on four straight plays in the red zone to get win No. 199.

Johnston won the Class A state championship over the Springfield Tigers 38-21. The season was anything but easy for the Vikings, but Johnston was able to get the Vikings to play their best football at the right time.

Even if coaching wasn’t in the cards for Johnston, he wanted to be an educator. Fortunately, the opportunity presented itself along with the chance to coach.

“I kind of always knew I would go into teaching,” Johnston said. “My initial plan was to go to college and become an art teacher. I loved my art teacher in high school. For me, the opportunity to coach was always there. I coached some in high school and college as well. I just knew that I wanted to teach and coach.”

Johnston went to college at Southwest Minnesota State University and earned his degree in education. He also played football there.

His passion was always to teach, but he had another passion for coaching. His first opportunity was with the Minneota girls basketball team. Johnston accepted the offer and, a year later, he became Minneota’s football coach.

“The girls basketball job that I got was a fluke,” Johnston said. “I took the job as an assistant at first and then got the head coaching job for basketball. Then, a year later, the football coach steps away. I always had that inner drive to coach. There were discussions about whether or not they were going to let me coach both teams. The administration thought that being a coach in two sports could affect my teaching. I always wanted to coach football, so it would have been weird to take the basketball job for a year and leave. Fortunately, that didn’t have to happen.”

Johnston doesn’t remember his first game more than 20 years later, but he does remember his first season and how successful it helped him establish his coaching style.

“We had a pretty good first season,” Johnston said. “We had a good run in the postseason. It was the start of setting the tone of my coaching style. In our final game, I told them to kneel it and they decided to throw it. Nothing like ending your season with a butt chewing. They knew from then on, if I say so this, this is how the program is going to run. I remember that from that season of setting the tone about accountability and responsibility.”

From 2001-2008, Johnston continued to set the tone for his football teams by building a consistently competitive program. There were ups and downs early, butt In 2009, the Vikings finally broke through and won their first state championship under Johnston.

“That group that won it was a talented group that went through some bumps and bruises,” Johnston said. “We had some tough losses the year before in the playoffs and that group was experienced in 2009.”

“One of the other things that made it special was playing against the Adrian Dragons. We just couldn’t beat them, which was an obstacle we had to overcome. When we did, that group of kids worked hard. They set the bar for us, and it was the beginning of something.”

Johnston’s team the following year was also a great team, but once you win, the target on your back makes it hard to repeat. Johnston vividly remembers Minneota’s state semifinal playoff loss against New Ulm Cathedral.

“They had a very good team,” Johnston said. “Cathedral was one of those teams that didn’t throw the ball much. Then, all of a sudden, they started to throw the ball on us. It was one of those games you’ll never forget. They score to go down one and decided to go for two. We were lined up incorrectly and I should’ve called timeout. I don’t and they score to go up by one. We get the ball back, call a jet sweep and a holding call is called on us. It was a learning moment for me because I’m guilty of always believing my kids will figure it out. It will still be a great season, but one of those games that slip from us.”

One of the messages that Johnston preaches to his teams year in and year out is that there’s pressure that comes with competing for Minneota. Unfair as it may be, every team wants to defeat the Vikings because of their history.

In 2014-2015, the Minneota Vikings went back-to-back in the Class A state championship. The Vikings were coming off a state championship game loss the previous year before the repeat.

“The ’14 year, we had a really good group of kids,” Johnston said. “We played against Dawson-Boyd and it was a great game. That one was memorable because we have a lot of respect for their program. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Cory Larson. Two well-coached teams and two talented programs. The following year, we played Minneapolis North. We had a good season, but we were the underdog as the defending state champion. Minneapolis North was a very talented team and had a great player in Tyler Johnson. We lost our best player Garrett Hennen and we were still able to win. That is my most memorable championship of them all because of the season we had overcoming the adversity and being the underdog.”

Coming off a back-to-back championship, the Vikings were going for a three-peat but it wouldn’t come to be. The Wabasso Rabbits eliminated the Vikings in their 2016 season in the second round of the sectional playoffs.

After winning another state football championship in 2017, Johnston started the first of his five straight state championship appearances in girls basketball. His success in two sports showed Johnston’s versatility and established him as one of the best coaches in the state. He maximized his players’ talents to help them reach their full potential, earning him the admiration of students, players and coaches alike.

“Chad is one of the best coaches in Minnesota,” Ireland Stassen, who played basketball for Minneota under Johnston, said. “He knows so much about all sports, but not only that. He pushes us and never gives up on us. He has coached so many games. He knows exactly what to do in pressure situations and makes sure we are calm and execute the plan. He has always made sure we were ready for the next team. He watches film and then gets us ready for [games] and he knows how to change things on the fly, too. He always has a backup plan. I don’t think he’s got the credit he deserves from anyone. He’s an all-time great and he’s one of those coaches that, if you get to be coached by him, you’re one lucky person.”

Before the start of the 2022 football season, Johnston was sitting at 188 career wins. He was also coming off a state championship game loss and was looking for redemption.

Coming into the season, the Vikings faced plenty of nonbelievers who doubted Minneota’s ability to make it back to the championship game. The Lakeview Lakers were a team of much-improved veterans. The Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks were also a very talented team coming into the season. Johnston said of all the championships he’d won, 2022 was the hardest.

“This was the hardest one because of our section,” Johnston said. “This year, we knew it would have been some tough games to get out of the section. It was a great year because we battled through the injuries and the losses. We had to stay the course. We did because some people wrote us off and that’s what made this year special.”

The Vikings finished 12-2 this year and, despite all of his success, he credits his staff and family for being supportive. He understands that their willingness to make sacrifices so that he can do what he loves is paramount to the success of the program.

“We all understand the impact families have on us and the support we need from our wives,” Johnston said. “I’ve got a very committed staff. I’ve got guys that probably watch more tape than I do. I’m fortunate that I’m surrounded by good people. My wife loves it and she is my biggest supporter. The kids love it as well. Allowing your assistants to be more involved takes the pressure off of you. I trust them and we’ve been around each other long enough.”

The same night that the Vikings won the championship in December, Minneota held a welcome home celebration for Johnston’s 200th victory and his fifth state championship. Johnston also decided to transition from coaching the girls basketball team to the boys basketball team. It was a difficult decision for him to make, but with three boys of his own, he felt like it was the right time to make the switch. Johnston feels that being a mentor is important to the next generation that wants to coach and continue positively impacting kids.

“[Johnston] is a great coach both in football and basketball,” said Ryan Dalager, who’s played under Johnston in both sports. “Coach J has high expectations for us on and off the field at all times. Even though we all make mistakes, he helps us correct them. So, when game day comes around, we are 100% ready for anything that gets thrown at us. I hope to continue to build our team and improve as a group with him leading us.”

Johnston’s career has been filled with great victories and agonizing defeats. While he’s already established a legacy, his story isn’t done yet.

He has 200 wins and he’s far from finished.