To nominate a Positive Athlete, find more information here.
The odds of finding someone who can’t say something positive about Jesika Hopkins might be worse than winning the Powerball.
The Thompson Valley senior has a competitor to the highest degree. But at the same time, she’s shown to be a model student, teammate and community member, all traits that have made her an ideal choice for the Positive Athlete program.
She competes fiercely enough that Hastings College in Nebraska is calling her name for both flag football and basketball. But getting there via athletics is just a means. It’s not the endgame.
Hopkins wants to study business and eventually get her realtor’s license. Just like starting down a soccer goal, basketball hoop or the end zone, she sees the destination and feels equipped in navigating the field to get there.
“Sports are a big commitment,” Hopkins said. “Having that practice of [playing] and doing your best showed me that giving your best can take you far, along with having a good mindset.”
All the while doing everything she can to lift up those around her. She leads by example, knowing that by controlling the things she can control, everyone will see the benefits. She has no problem building up, encouraging and mentoring any player in her vicinity, no matter if it’s a fellow senior or a wide-eyed freshman. And through it all, her GPA is sitting north of a 4.0.
And her actions on the field back up the talk.
In just the second sanctioned year of flag football, she had 1,132 receiving yards for Mountain View, the Thompson Valley district team. She had 24 touchdowns and snagged 15 interceptions on defense. The Mountain Lions went to the Class 4A state title game in 2024 and 2025, winning in 2024.
Hopkins was very much a foundational piece to both programs.
“Being a brand new program in an up-and-coming sport is extremely tough as everyone is learning the ropes and we are kind of building the car while we are driving its” Mountain View coach Tim Test said. “To do so and have the type of success we have experienced at Mountain View Flag Football (back-to-back state championship appearances, one win, 34-4 record over two seasons) means that you have to have cornerstones to build a strong foundation.”
Test was quick to nominate Hopkins as a Positive Athlete, knowing the tools that each kid receives just for being nominated will come in handy with her lofty life goals.
“It’s like a guide into the future,” Hopkins said of the resources.
Although her future looks bright, she still has plenty to accomplish in the present. Thompson Valley girls basketball is currently 4-1 on the season and Hopkins is averaging nearly 14 points per game to go with 4 rebounds.
She may heading into the final stretch of her high school athletic career, but she still has so much to accomplish both on and off the athletic arena. And those around her who know that, had no problem putting her into the Positive Athlete pipeline.
