GREAT KIDS: Kicker for Rockville High football inspires young girls

(WFSB) - A football player at Rockville High got a lot attention this season.

Not for how she played, but also for how she inspired others.

Eyewitness News talked to Molly Wilson, the high school football place kicker who’s paving a path of winning.

From a distance, it may be hard to tell.

But up close on the football field, Molly stands out.

“I just like playing, I don’t care what people think of it. I just like it,” Molly said.

The high school freshman is the starting kicker for the Rockville football team.

“She came day one and she was ready to do whatever we asked of her,” said Erick Knickerbocker, Rockville Head Football Coach.

She is the only girl on her football team.

Coach Knickerbocker said it doesn’t bother her or the team.

“It doesn’t matter to her. She’s very competitive. She’s so competitive and stubborn in all the good ways where she works so hard at what she’s doing,” said Knickerbocker.

She’s been working hard for a while.

It was her dad who encouraged her to trade the soccer ball for a football when she entered 6th grade.

“I played soccer my whole life. That’s kind of where the kicking part came from. My dad brought me into the yard, and he told me to kick the ball,” said Molly.

“We were just messing around in the backyard and I said, ‘See?! You can do it!’” said John Wilson, Molly’s dad.

Turns out she learned quickly.

With the help of a kicking coach, she honed her technique.

Now she said she only wants to get better.

She also plays left guard and right tackle.

“It’s fun and if you love the sport, you play. It doesn’t matter what other people think,” Molly said.

At midway this season she was 14 of 16 on extra points.

Her dad was right by her side, encouraging her each step and each kick.

Now it’s her dad who’s inspired by her.

“She works for everything. I don’t want to hold her back,” John said.

Her hard work is hardly unnoticed. So many girls look up to her.

It’s a role she’s embracing.

“I think that’s awesome that I can inspire people to do this. I think they should. They can do anything they want to,” said Molly.

Molly said she wants to kick again next year, and the year after that until she graduates.

She understands what it means, beyond just playing.

“Inspiring other girls, that’s a big part of it. And I just love the game and I want to keep playing,” Molly said.

Molly is playing and proving that she’s more than just a kicker. She’s a trailblazer, showing girls everywhere what’s possible.

Copyright 2022 WFSB. All rights reserved.