Wright Receives Johnson Family Scholarship

Smith-Cotton High School senior Samuel Wright is the 2025-26 recipient of the Mark Johnson Academic Achievement Scholarship.

Wright was a starter at linebacker for the S C football team and an Academic All-State honoree.

The annual scholarship – provided by former S-C coach Johnson and his family – awards $500 to a S-C football player who is a full-time starter his senior year.

Other eligibility requirements are:

• Must have played four years of football for Smith-Cotton High School

• Must have a 3.7 grade-point average or higher on a 4.0 scale at the end of his junior year

• Must never have been suspended for using illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco Wright’s name will be engraved on a plaque that is displayed in the S-C gymnasium.

The scholarship, which will be funded by the Johnson family through 2043, was awarded for the first time at the end of the 2013 season, Johnson’s final year leading the Tigers football team.

In the photo: Smith-Cotton senior linebacker Samuel Wright, right, who earned the 2025-26 Mark Johnson Academic Achievement Scholarship, recently met with Coach Johnson in the Smith-Cotton High gymnasium, where the scholarship plaque is displayed.