Blaze Witten decided to play the sport he always liked best. Then Brian Dorsey decided to follow family tradition and try something new. The result: An unusual swap between Emporia High’s football and boys soccer teams that could have an impact on both teams this fall.
Witten showed plenty of promise as a freshman kicker for the Spartan football team last year, but soccer had been his game of choice from kindergarten clear through to eighth grade. This summer, he decided to return to booting the round white ball instead of the brown oval one, joining new soccer coach Angel Cornejo’s first team.
“I enjoyed the previous season,” Witten said, “but I knew that in the long run, I’d have a lot more fun playing soccer than football. I’d rather play a high school sport that I enjoy the most than one to go to college, one to get a college scholarship.”
That left coach Bill Lowe’s football squad without a kicker the Spartans thought they would have for the next three years, and without an obvious solution to replace Witten.
Enter Dorsey, a senior who primarily played forward on the Spartan soccer team last year. His uncle, Jon Dorsey, walked on to the University of Tennessee as a kicker in 1995. Brian had never kicked a football before about a month ago, when he tried it out at Welch Stadium at the urging of EHS quarterback Taylor Euler. Dorsey was officially added to the Spartan football roster this week.
“I played soccer all my life, and just decided I love kicking a football,” he said.
Witten said he was pushed toward football right before he reached Emporia High. He said he was practicing kicking last summer when he was spotted by a group of football players, who told Lowe about his strong leg. Witten’s father was an influence, too.
“He played football all through high school,” Witten said. “He was one of the first starting sophomores in high school. He thought that it was really cool that I was one of the first starting freshmen in high school to start varsity football.”
When Witten made his decision earlier this summer to go back to soccer, he said his dad was at first “kind of mad. But after he figured out how much I enjoy playing soccer, he understood.”
Naturally, Lowe was surprised, too.
“Because I felt last year, we had a guy that we could count on for four years, and he would’ve been really good,” Lowe said. “But you gotta do what you enjoy doing. It surprised me, but a kid’s gotta enjoy it. If he enjoys soccer more than that, that’s what he should do.”
One of the people Dorsey shocked with his decision to switch over to football was his twin brother and longtime soccer teammate. For Ryan Dorsey, the first couple of days of practice without Brian were an adjustment.
“And I’ve always done the same sport he has,” Ryan said. “So, the first couple of days out there ... it felt weird in practice for me, just to go out there and not see him out there running with me, or doing the drills with me, because I’m always used to being with him and around him.”
Cornejo said that when he learned from Witten that he wanted to join the soccer team, he didn’t even know Witten was the EHS kicker. But now, Cornejo has an experienced player to help address his team’s biggest need: defense. He said Witten will be a starter at left defender.
“He can play mid and forward,” Cornejo said. “I think he’s (strongest) at defense.”
Meanwhile, Brian Dorsey is learning to adjust to kicking a football — primarily, learning the difference between using just his foot to kick a soccer ball versus supplying the leg strength necessary to boot a field goal. His uncle plans on flying up from his Florida home soon to teach Brian what he knows.
Brian said he kicked a 45-yarder when he first practiced at Welch Stadium last month, but was focusing more on point-after kicks since beginning practice this week. With high expectations for this year’s Spartan football squad and a tough schedule against a number of strong teams, Brian’s new coach knows that any number of games could come down to a crucial kick.
“I don’t know about distance,” Lowe said. “I mean, that’s kind of hard to tell right now because he’s just standing there kicking by himself. It changes when you get a defense in there. ... It’s yet to be seen. We’re excited about having a kicker that can spend a lot of time on practice and kicking the football.”
Does Dorsey feel any pressure knowing that a close game against a Hayden or Seaman could come down to his leg?
“Not at all,” he said. “I’m just gonna try and stay relaxed.”