Wednesday, November 04, 2026
37.0°F

Lions’ Johnny Ferguson signs with EOU

CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 2 weeks AGO
by CALEB PEREZ
| May 21, 2026 3:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — Johnny Ferguson, a student at Covenant Christian School and a football and basketball star with the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Christian Covenant School Lions, signed his letter of intent to continue his basketball career at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon. While attending EOU, he will also focus on a degree in business administration. 

“I’m just really excited,” said Johnny. “It took a while to make the decision and I’m happy with the decision I made.” 

His decision to play for EOU came from the success that their basketball program has shown over the years. This season the EOU Mountaineers finished 22-9 and secured a Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular Season Co-Championship.

“They have a good team, they have a lot of seniors, and I could learn a lot from them,” he said.  

Johnny also highlighted the school’s welcoming atmosphere and his soon-to-be teammates displaying positive personalities that he can bond with. Johnny’s parents Daniel and Jeanette Ferguson added to this sentiment and said the community felt similar to that of Moses Lake. 

“Eastern Oregon, once we visited the campus, it’s not too big and he felt right at home,” said Jeanette.  

Both Johnny’s parents expressed how proud they are of him and his accomplishments throughout his academic and athletic careers. They said one of his strongest attributes that he has shown over the years has been his humility. 

“He’s humble, and that says a lot about his character,” said Jeanette. “You wouldn’t know the football player or basketball player that he is meeting him firsthand.” 

“Scripture says, ‘Do not speak well of yourself, let others speak well of you,’ and it’s incredibly honoring to hear how others speak of Johnny in such a beautiful way,” said Daniel.  

Over his four-year career with the Lions, Johnny finished with a total of 87 wins and just 17 losses. In his senior season, Johnny hit a significant milestone early on as he reached 1,000 career points in just the second week of the season and finished with a total of 1,466 points by the end of the season. 

Johnny went on to lead alongside his fellow Lions to a 22-4 record and claim both the 1B District 5 title and a fourth-place finish in the state tournament. Just before the state tournament Johnny was also awarded First Team All-League honors and the title of Central Washington B League 2025-2026 League MVP. 

“I’m telling you right now, to win that much, it’s not just showing up,” said Lions Head Basketball Coach Emerson Ferguson. “It’s showing up, showing out and putting in the work outside the court.” 

Coach Ferguson said Johnny excelled through the extra effort he put into the sport by going beyond the scheduled practice times and continuing to play on his own at the Larsen Rec Center or alongside his friends and teammates.  

Both Coach Ferguson and Assistant Coach Curtis Weber highlighted Johnny’s humble nature both on and off the court. 

“Getting to know Johnny and seeing his work ethic and his leadership, it wasn’t just on the basketball court ... it was in his relationships, in the way he spoke to his friends and other people and opponents that he played,” said Weber. 

Johnny’s parents said the time and effort put in by all the leaders in Johnny’s life over the years really helped shape him into who he is today, including Patriot Church Pastor Aaron Noble, who started out as the head football coach when the program began at MLCA/CCS and continued encouraging Johnny as both pastor and a friend; his basketball coaches that strengthened his love for the game; and CCS Principal Alecia Stanley for helping nurture the academic side of his life. 

“I think that going to school (at Covenant Christian) has given him a strong biblical education and he will take that into the rest of his life,” said Daniel. “I think that will help guide him to make wise decisions from here on out.” 

As Johnny heads into the next step in his basketball career, he plans to add on to his already successful career.  

“I just want to get better at basketball every day,” he said. 

Looking back on both his time as a student at CCS and being a Lion, Johnny said he will appreciate all the bonds he built with his friends. 

“Just hanging out with my friends and playing basketball, that was the best part,” said the senior. “All the practices and bus rides and all that.” 

During his signing Johnny thanked everyone who had supported him through his journey including his parents and sister Angela Ferguson, who were always there to cheer him on, and his teammates and coaches who helped him get to this point in his journey. 

“I just want to thank all you guys for being here and supporting me,” said Johnny. “I want to thank Pastor Aaron and my parents; they helped me make this decision, and they’ve helped me so much more than I can even say.” 


    Joining Johnny Ferguson as he sits at the table for his EOU signing are Covenant Christian School Principal Alecia Stanley, Johnny’s parents Daniel and Jeanette Ferguson, his sister Angela Ferguson, Assistant Basketball Coach Curtis Weber, Head Basketball Coach Emerson Ferguson and Pastor Aaron Noble.
 
 


    Johnny Ferguson is joined by his family and basketball teammates and coaches during his EOU signing.
 
 
    During the 2026 1B State Basketball tournament, Johnny Ferguson goes in for the dunk as the team went on their journey for a fourth-place finish. Going for dunks was a staple of Johnny’s senior season.
 
 
    Lions senior Johnny Ferguson goes in for the layup in a game during the 2025-2026 season. Ferguson finished his high school basketball career with 1466 total points.
 
 
    Johnny Ferguson from MLCA/CCS gets ready to shoot a free throw in a game during his final season as a Lion.
 
 


ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ

Mavs claim District 5 swim and dive title
November 4, 2026 3 a.m.

Mavs claim District 5 swim and dive title

MOSES LAKE — The series of successful meets this season fully paid off for the Moses Lake Mavericks girls swim team over the weekend as the girls claimed the District 5 title. By the end of Saturday, the Mavs won the district meet with a score of 466 to Wenatchee's 449. "Just as we expected with Wenatchee, it was close all the way to the end. Could have gone either way, but it went our way," said Mavs Head Coach Tony Preston. "The girls were super excited to get their district championship."

Tigers qualify both boys and girls teams to state
November 4, 2026 3 a.m.

Tigers qualify both boys and girls teams to state

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Cross Country team continued their successful season in the District 5 and 6 Championships Saturday afternoon. Both the boys and girls had strong races to qualify for state with the boys taking third and the girls taking second. Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts said because of their high ranking all season the girls team set their sights high on the district meet. Heading into Saturday, they knew their toughest challenge would be against Ellensburg, who has been ranked second in the state all season.

Knights battle into district championships
November 3, 2026 3 a.m.

Knights battle into district championships

ROYAL CITY — The second seeded Royal Knights (16-2-1) battled in a tight matchup against the third seeded Naches Valley Saturday afternoon in the district semifinals. Both teams put forward a strong effort, with the Knights securing a 1-0 victory. "We were all putting our heart out in this game and trying our best because we have a really good team this year," said Knights junior Sofia Villafana. "We were just giving it our all." The tone of the game was set from the very start as Royal and Naches Valley went back and forth on their attack. While the Knights controlled the ball for most of the first half, Naches Valley's defense kept things in check.