LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Kicking a football is hard enough, but having a soccer player switch to kicking a football probably needs a crash course.
“Well soccer you have to lean back and kick it and football I feel like I gotta get more over it so it was actually a big adjustment coming from soccer and then going to football practice it was like wacky but I got a feel for it after a while,” Haley Angel said.
Haley Angel needed a crash course too. Yes, Haley Angel, a girl on the Estill County high school football team.
A month ago, the Engineers’ kicker got hurt. Haley won the 14th region keeper of the year award in girls soccer. She boots some pretty high kicks out there so head football coach Jordan Marcum gave her a call.
“I texted her and ask her I say hey would you be interested in coming out and kicking for the football team she said I would love to and so she came out and we got her ready,” Marcum said.
“Yeah my first kick I was shaking I was so nervous but after that I felt pretty comfortable doing it football it’s like a whole different environment,” Angel said.
So Haley played soccer and football at the same time this fall. Coach Marcum knows she’s talented because he is her track & field coach as well. She finished top 10 in the state in shotput and discus. On top of all that, she plays basketball too, a four-sport athlete.
“I love my community I love my school so I try to show up for everything I can they’ve been very supportive they’ve encouraged me to do it actually especially Marcum he’s always been very encouraging of playing other sports,” Angel said.
If that wasn’t enough, the cross country coach was down a couple runners last month and asked her to help. Without training, she got up and ran in regionals and qualified for state.
The main idea here: what can’t she do? After all, she’s a girl on the football team, showing people there’s nothing she can’t do.
“Yeah like the little kids I always see them on the sidelines watching me and it makes me feel good I just hope they know that they can do the same thing,” Angel said.
“All the little girls out here I got a daughter at seven and I introduced her to her and I was like she’s on our football team and she was like what and it was eye opening for her that young ladies can do anything,” Marcum said.
“That’s the main thing that makes me feel good is the little girls just to make them think that they can do it too,” Angel said.
The Estill County football team made the playoffs but lost to Rockcastle County in the first round on Thursday.
Source : Fox 56 News
