Two Arlington natives and former teammates will reunite Sunday for Super Bowl LVII but now as rivals.
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Kyron Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Shane Buechele both graduated from Lamar High School and will make LHS the home of a Super Bowl champ for the second-straight year.
In 2022, former Lamar HS student, Bobby Brown, collected a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
“It’s in the water, I guess,” said Lamar head coach Billy Skinner, who was an assistant coach when both Johnson and Buechele played at Lamar. “It’s neat, and it’s great for everyone. Our junior high students know they’ll play at a place with a rich tradition, not just high school-wise because of [Hall of Fame coach] Eddy Peach, but because of what’s next. Our high school guys know what this area produces, and they can see what could be out there for them.”
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Kyron Johnson is a rookie linebacker drafted in the sixth round after playing collegiately at Kansas and has played in 16 games for the Eagles, recording five tackles.
“Kyron was the life of the locker room,” Skinner said. “He was always so jovial. He’d sing. You couldn’t help but love that kid and the energy he brought to the locker room. I think it was his sophomore year he started to grow into his body. You could see it coming together that this kid had an opportunity to be really special. His ability started to catch up to his natural talent.”
Skinner is proud of Johnson, but he says he can’t make himself root for the Eagles.
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“I’m a Cowboys fan,” he said. “If my mom were playing for the Eagles, I wouldn’t root for her.”
Starting out his college career at Texas, Shane Buechele excelled as a freshman, throwing 21 touchdown passes and nearly 3,000 yards. After spending another year with Texas, Buechele ultimately transferred to SMU. There, he spent two seasons that combined for 57 touchdown passes and 7,024 yards. While Buechele did not get drafted, he was an impressive collegiate athlete.
He signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2021 and spent the last two seasons as one of the backups for MVP frontrunner Patrick Mahomes. He is also the son of former Texas Rangers third baseman Steve Buechele.
“The biggest thing is he was the first kid I ever met and coached that I thought, ‘I want my daughter to marry a dude like this,’” Skinner said. “He’s just a fantastic kid. He was one of the best football players in the state, but you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat someone. It didn’t matter if you were the lunch lady or the head football coach; he treated everyone great. I can’t say enough nice things about him.”
While Johnson has played in 16 games this season, Buechele has yet to get on the field. He goes through every practice but has been inactive for games as the No. 3 quarterback.
