From the Soccer Pitch to the Gridiron

Hanover- Fans attending the Licking Valley vs Gallia Academy playoff game on Saturday (November 3rd), might have noticed something different about the Panthers. Instead of seeing the familiar #42 kicking off and kicking extra points, fans instead saw #33, complete with bright neon cleats, getting the job done. Some people may never know who this kicker is, because he was just recently added to the roster. Fortunately, I know him quite well. Senior Josh Rhymer has been a good friend of mine for many years now. He plays varsity soccer, track, and most recently, football at Licking Valley High School.

Josh Rymer didn’t begin the 2018 fall season thinking he would be kicking for the football team. He actually didn’t officially join the team until week 7. He was content to finish off his successful soccer career and be done with fall sports. However, one friend (me) recognized his potential and urged him to try it out. It had always been in the back of his mind and he was thinking about it before the season, but he still needed some convincing. Although he struggled at first, he quickly found his groove. But at this point he was still only doing kickoffs late in the game, when we had basically already won. But after an ankle injury to our starting kicker and linebacker, Colin Kozlowski, Josh stepped up and has been our kicker every since. He has been a vital part of the teams successful playoff run up to this point. Although he always shanks his first extra point, he has been very consistent and has even caused multiple fumbles with his squib kicks.

I interviewed Josh to get his thoughts and here is the conversation we had:

Q: Tell me about your experience with the football team so far?

A: It’s been really good all around. I have been encouraged by family, teammates, the coaches, as well as fans after the game. It’s just been an overall great experience. When I first started, it was a lot different. When I was still in soccer season, I would often kick my foot against the tee, because I was used to kicking a soccer ball, but since soccer has ended, I don’t hit it as much and it has gotten easier.

Josh has been an important part of your 2018 panther team and will hopefully continue to kick as we continue our playoff run.