Fairview High School has its own Johnny Football.
Say hello to Johnny Feauto (pronounced photo). Go ahead. Take his picture. He’s a senior, unselfish and a winner.
“He loves to compete, just thrives on it,” said Knights coach Tom McCartney.
And he’s something most teenagers aren’t — he’s patient. The quarterback was on a stop-and-go merry-go-round for two seasons and never blinked.
“I mean, it has been pretty crazy,” Feauto said.
Heading into his sophomore season, he was playing in a summer baseball game when word got to him that starting quarterback Anders Hill broke an ankle.
“I thought they were messing with me,” Feauto said. “I wasn’t even sure that I was the backup, then I was the starter.”
As a sophomore, Feauto averaged 375 yards passing through six games before Hill returned.
“And when Anders came back, I was sad they threw him in there, but I understood he was the guy,” Feauto said.
Fairview finished 5-5.
Last year it all clicked for Fairview, and for Feauto. A healthy Hill, an emerging Carlo Kemp playing defensive line and a talented senior cast helped Fairview enter the big-school finale at Sports Authority Field with a 12-0 record. Ultimately, the Knights were pasted by superpower Valor Christian 56-16, but Feauto started at cornerback and had a team-high six interceptions. Two came in the playoffs.
“I was happy to jump in (at cornerback) after I had a good scrimmage,” he said. “The coaches helped me do well at that position. It was just a magical year.”
This season is also showing promise. The Knights are 2-0. Feauto and Thomas Creese combined for 510 yards passing in the opener, 414 from Feauto. He had turnover issues in Week 2 against Boulder, but he has McCartney’s confidence.
A pitcher and infielder for the Knights in baseball, as well as the point guard for the basketball team, his coach said “the bigger the game, the better he is — and that’s why they call him Johnny Football around here.”
As a senior, Feauto is happy to get another shot at playing quarterback.
“It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I’ve played quarterback since I was 8,” Feauto said. “We’re off to a pretty good start and I want to see where it goes.”
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or
