Jolicoeur, Stanley bring 'futbol' skills to football

BEEKMANTOWN | In the Sept. 10 CVAC football opener between Beekmantown and AuSable Valley, the two squads combined to connect on seven extra points and had a chance at a 50-plus yard field goal before a penalty moved the kicker out of range. The position of kicker was filled by Grace Jolicoeur for Beekmantown and Addie Stanley at AuSable Valley, a former girl's soccer player and current soccer standout getting the chance to play both forms of football. Two-sport Stanley For Stanley, a junior who is already known as a powerful boot in the Northern Soccer League for her ability to bury direct kicks from well beyond the penalty area, the opportunity to be part of the football team presented itself of the summer. "I was practicing soccer at the high school with my dad and we had a football on the field, so he said why don't you try some kicks," said Stanley. "He recorded a few of the kicks from 40-yards out and sent them to the coaches. We had briefly talked about it in 2019, but it was more for Jenna (Addie's older sister, a senior on the AVCS soccer team) to do it. I always thought it would be kind of cool if I got the chance to kick for the football team, but didn't think it would actually happen." "I saw her do it once and said you are good to go," said AVCS football coach Kyle Nolan. "I treat Addie like everyone else. She shows up to practice. She's ready to practice every day. She gets her kicks in. She's great to have on the team." Stanley said she also received the blessing of her soccer coach, Lindsey Douglas. "She was completely on board and thought is was super cool I was able to do this," Stanley said. "Her only concern, of course, was that I not get injured for soccer." "I think it's exciting she wanted to try this new challenge," said Douglas. "The one rule that I told her was that if it was a fumbled snap she had to run away because I know she could outrun anyone!" That brought Stanley to Sept. 10. where she took the field for the first time as a member of the Patriot football team, getting her first chance to convert an extra point when Eli Douglas scored on a six yard touchdown run with one second left in the opening quarter. "I was really freaked out," she said. "I went in for the first kick and it was so quick that I never got the chance to think about it. Then I was able to calm down and I just thought, this was way easier than I thought it was going to be." Then came the chance to kick a field goal, when Stanley went onto the field and lined up a 52-yard attempt. "We have pretty much done extra points and that's where we've been at so we haven't really moved on from there, but she would've tried a 52 yarder before a penalty (too many players) killed it." In the game, Stanley was 4-of-5 on extra-point attempts as the Patriots scored a 34-21 win over the Eagles. After the game, Stanley said while both could count for one point on the scoreboard, standing over an extra point was more pressure-packed then standing over a free kick in soccer. "I feel like an extra point is harder, but because of the atmosphere of a football game," she said. "There is so much pressure, there are so many more eyes on you, and those points could be crucial in a game." As for the season, the Patriot soccer and football teams are both in the mix in their respective sectional races, giving Stanley the chance to win two sectional patches this fall. "That would be the coolest thing ever," she said. "I am really excited for both seasons and to see what we can do." Year two for Jolicoeur For Grace Jolicoeur, the season opener was the start of her "second season," as she had played the position for Beekmantown in April during the two-game "Fall II" football season. "I had played soccer before but I switched last spring season to football," she said. "Kicking the ball is a little bit different. A soccer ball is more dynamic and kicking and extra point or field goal is more about striking the ball." Jolicoeur said the chance to play football has been meaningful. "It is a life-changing experience," she said. "It's something I dreamed of as a little girl and now getting to do it is extremely soul-shaking." Jolicoeur added her teammates and coaches have been extremely supportive throughout the past five months. "Getting to do it with such an amazing team and such supportive people surrounding me is a dream come true," she said. "They have all been supportive since day one and we have all grown together and become a big family — they have all taken me under their wing." In the spring, Jolicoeur got the chance to attempt one extra point in a game, which was blocked. This year, her first chance came in the second quarter after Andrew VanNatten hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Parliament to make the score 7-6 and giving her a chance to tie the game. Jolicoeur went through her pre-kick routine before the ball was snapped and she came through with her leg, kicking the ball over the goalposts to tie the game at 7-7. "The greatest thing was getting to hug my dad (Beekmantown assistant Jeff Jolicoeur) after hitting the first extra point," she said. Jolicoeur would go on to hit two more extra points, each equally pressure-packed as each successful try tied the game, first at 14-14 and then at 21-21, with her last attempt coming to end the third quarter.

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Jolicoeur, Stanley bring 'futbol' skills to football

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