Kicking it to the outfielder? That’s talking about two different sports. The two different sports that sophomore Jack Knight plays: football and baseball.

    As a freshman in 2015, Knight started out his high school football career on the freshman team but ended it on varsity.

    “Jack showed enough skill at the freshman level for [coaches] to call him up to varsity, and to work with him and spend time with him,” head coach Jason Simmons said.

     Knight was one of four freshman to be called up to practice and play with varsity last year. Knight proved that he deserves to be on varsity so he played the last four games of last season.

    “[Kicking] can be a lot of pressure,” Knight said, “Sometimes it’s really easy. Other times you’re really scared to miss and that’s when you can tell everyone expected you to make it.”  

    Only being a sophomore doesn’t make the coaches think any less of his abilities; Knight is playing a big role for the football team this year.

    “Jack is already doing a lot for us this year. He’s got a pretty big role on our team being our place kicker and our kick-off guy.”

    Knight has the potential to be a punter one day as long as he continues to improve, but for the time being he will stay as a kicker.

    “We had an open competition this summer, leading into the start of the season, Jack is a better kicker right now than he is a punter. Jack didn’t really punt a lot to begin with; it’s better for the team to have him focus on kicking rather than punting right now.”

    Knight is recognized for working hard on and off the field not only for football. Knight has been a baseball outfielder since he was in fifth grade and plans to play for the Millers this year during football’s offseason.

    “Jack is a multi-sport athlete,” Simmons said, “[The coaches] know he’s not just a kicker. He’s a kicker and a baseball player.”