TOLEDO – Mikey Contreras likes the lonely positions.
Mikey Contreras
On the soccer field, he plays goalkeeper. The Little Giants’ last line of defense. He either makes a save or a goal is scored.
On Friday nights he is Ross’ kicker, a position that also brings with it huge highs and crushing lows.
Last week Contreras missed two field goals. The first, a 50-yarder, could have won the game in double overtime, and the second attempt, from 37 yards out, would have put the Little Giants in ahead in the third overtime.
Friday night he got his chance for redemption. Midway through the fourth quarter, Contreras’ number was called for a 24-yard field goal attempt.
“I feel like there is more pressure as a kicker,” Contreras said. “A, there is a bigger crowd. B, football is really big at our school, so if you miss, you’re going to know about it. I heard a little bit about it (last week).”
He won’t mind hearing about this week’s kick. Long and straight and between the uprights.
His 24-yarder made the difference in Ross’ 23-20 win over St. John’s.
“It wasn’t as long as week’s were, when I had the opportunity, but my heart was still racing,” Contreras said. “I had to make it.
“I could feel it. I knew it was going in. It was pretty short, but I felt it, I knew it was going.”
The 6-foot-2, 160-pound kicker pulls double duty between the two programs. With soccer games usually on Tuesday and Thursday nights, Wednesdays, following soccer practice, he and soccer/kicking coach Alex Coressel head to Don Paul Stadium for practice his place kicking for Friday nights.
“On field goal days, we push me all the way to the limit, as far as I can a good 50 yards, pushing it to 55 if I feel good,” Contreras said.
Despite the missed kicks last week, head coach Chad Long had no worries about going back to Contreras for Friday night’s critical kick.
“We call Mikey The Clutch,” Long said. “We knew to get on the left hash and let Mikey go to work. That’s where he is best from, the left hash, so we kept it over there knowing we were going to kick a field goal if we couldn’t get the first down.
“I have all the faith in Mikey and in what he does, it doesn’t matter what happened last week.”