WINDSOR — When Olivia MacLeay was playing soccer in eighth grade and her shots often sailed over the crossbar, her teammates would joke that she should become a kicker for the football team.
Three years later, the Windsor High junior has done just that, nailing 25 of her 29 extra-point attempts this season as the undefeated Yellowjackets (10-0) have cruised into Saturday’s VPA Division III championship game against BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille. Game time is 2 p.m. at Rutland High School.
Windsor football coach Greg Balch knew his team would not have a kicker on the roster this year coming off last year’s state title, and MacLeay’s friends on the football team encouraged her to try out. She asked Matt Meagher, a physical education teacher and assistant football coach, if the Yellowjackets still needed a kicker, and after impressing the football staff, she got permission from girls soccer coach Jeff Bachey to split her time between the two sports this fall.
“We’re always hoping someone from one of the soccer teams will come kick for us, and we didn’t have a kicker starting out the season,” Balch said. “We were thrilled to give her a chance. She’d never done it before, so we weren’t really sure what to expect, but right away she was showing a strong leg. It’s only gotten better as the season has gone on.”
MacLeay struggled to find a suitable block — something only allowed at the high school level for place kicks — at first because she was used to kicking directly off the ground as a soccer player. She used an unusually low block early in the season, then switched to a higher block to improve her ball striking. MacLeay also handled kickoff duties to start the year but was pulled off that assignment after she hurt her knee, aiming to protect against further injury that could sideline her in soccer, which remained her primary sport.
At the start of the fall, when sunset was later, MacLeay went straight from school to soccer practice, then went over to football workouts later in the afternoon. Staying for the entirety of football practice was never a requirement because MacLeay is solely a kicker.
Three football games took place on the same day as a scheduled girls soccer game, in which case MacLeay opted for soccer, but on Sept. 24 — Windsor’s Homecoming — she played in the football game at 1 p.m. before changing her uniform for the 4:30 soccer game.
“She made it apparent to both myself and Coach Balch that soccer is her sport,” Bachey said. “She wanted to make sure (football) didn’t interfere with soccer. Balch was super-supportive of that, and it worked out nicely.”
MacLeay’s 15 goals were second-most on the soccer team, which finished 11-5-0 and won a first-round playoff game. The football team, meanwhile, has destroyed nearly every team in its path, with the Yellowjackets’ only close game coming in the season opener against their finals opponent.
Senior quarterback Maison Fortin is a true dual threat, with 954 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground and 725 yards and 12 scores through the air against just three interceptions. Seniors Travis McAllister and Logan Worrall and sophomore Gavin Martin have each rushed for more than 500 yards as well.
All of those players, save Martin, experienced the thrill of winning a championship last year at the same venue against the same team, but MacLeay will be playing for her first trophy.
“You should have seen me after the semifinal game,” MacLeay said.
“All the other football players have been to the championship before, so they were excited, but I was ecstatic because with my other sports, I’ve never been to the championship. I’m really excited to see how the field is and for all the fans to come. All my friends are really excited to see me play at a championship.”
Balch said MacLeay had good height on the ball right away, and her confidence has grown throughout the season. Because Windsor finishes most of its drives in the end zone, MacLeay has not had the opportunity to attempt a field goal, but she said she would feel comfortable from as far out as 35 yards.
MacLeay also plays club soccer and runs indoor and outdoor track, so sports keep her busy year-round, but her multi-sport experience this fall has her leaning toward coming back to the football team next year. She has a recent example to look up to on the national stage — in 2020, Sarah Fuller, a soccer standout at Vanderbilt University, briefly joined the football team as a kicker and became the first woman to score in a Southeastern Conference football game.
“I was hesitant to join because I was scared I wouldn’t be accepted, and I was scared that maybe the community and some of my peers wouldn’t be happy that I was joining,” MacLeay said. “But after seeing that (Fuller) could do that and knowing I could do that, I felt I should give it a try.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.