Student Athlete of the Week: Vancleave’s Jordyn Raynor
It’s becoming more and more common to see female kickers blaze a trail into the high school football ranks, but that doesn’t make this time any less special.
Kaylee Foster, Ashton Rupert, and now Jordyn Raynor, the next in line of female kickers on the Gulf Coast, this time hailing from Vancleave High School.
As you might expect, this week’s WXXV Student Athlete of the Week is quite a pretty good soccer player too. “I love soccer. It’s my love. It’s my life. Soccer is everything to me and it’s all I’ve ever known since I could remember. So, soccer is my thing and I love it.”
What was once Jordyn Raynor’s one true love is now two. Her passion for the pitch making for quite the easy transition into her grind on the gridiron. “One day coach asked me and he was like, “hey, would you want to try out for our team?” and I thought he was joking at first so I starting laughing, and he was not joking. I came out during spring training last year just to come see how it felt and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a lot of fun and these boys out here are very respectful, very, very respectful to me. I love it.”
Head Football Coach Kevin Fant said, “We lost our kicker last year and we were looking around and she was interested and it doesn’t bother us here to have her out here and she came out and has done everything we’ve asked her to do.”
Already on varsity as just a sophomore, Raynor kicks off for the Bulldogs under the Friday Night Lights and is picture perfect on all eight of her extra point attempts.
But what matters most to the kicking queen is her impact on the next generation. “I’m very honored to be out here because not a lot of girls get to play football or get asked in general, or play varsity for that, so I’m very honored and that I get to be an example for these young little girls who come out here and play football. They see a girl out here and they’re like, “wow,” and they all come up to me before the game and after the game and it warms my heart.”
Wearing gold hoop earrings under her helmet and pink cleats on her feet, Raynor is proud to be a female in a male-dominated sport and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “A lot of people tell me, “you want to go out there and not look like a girl because they’ll hit you,” and I’m like no, I want people to know that I am a girl and I can be a kicker just as much as a dude can be a kicker. I think that it shows my feminine traits and I think that I’m representing every girl out there when I’m on that field.”
On October 13th, Raynor will be doing more than representing just her fellow ladies, better yet, her entire sophomore class as one of the homecoming maids, giving her the chance to wear the crown and the helmet on the same night. “I’m so excited I’m actually so happy. I’m very honored to be on the court this year. I’ve never gotten it before and it’s always been a dream of mine.”
“She’s got a little struggle in a week or so where she’s got to go out there and get back out there second half kicking, so we’re very proud of her.”
