Football was the last sport to come along for Woodrow Wilson junior kicker Connor Mollohan.
It could the sport that takes him to the greatest heights after high school.
“I have a love for football now, but I never dreamed I would be at this point in my career. I started out backing up Jacob Wells. He hit absolute banger punts and I was thinking, I have to live up to this guy,” Mollohan said, laughing. “My first practice here, I was probably the most nervous kid on the football field. I wasn’t even hitting and I was just watching practice. It was an adjustment for me to the bigger game.”
Mollohan has adjusted nicely, however and has become an effective weapon for the Flying Eagles.
He has also opened some eyes at some national kicking events. Competing most recently at the 2021 Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp, it was noted that Mollohan showed “improved leg strength and confidence in his overall abilities,” at the event.”
Along with heaving a strong performance in the field goal portion, it was noted that he was excellent in the roll-out portion of the punting. Mollohan was even able to score a big ball of 50 yards with 4.09 seconds hang time in the traditional punting competition.
The junior kicker also had several kickoffs go over 60 yards and hit several punts over 40 yards at the prestigious Kohl’s event.
Kicking in general is really nothing knew to the three-sport standout. His initial kicking experience came on the pitch at an early age.
“I started playing soccer when I was around four and baseball when I was around six. I started playing football at the beginning of eighth grade,” Mollohan said.
Excelling at three sports requires had work, dedication and hours of practice. Finding the time to fit in all three sports can be a challenge according to Mollohan.
“It’s a lot, I am not going to lie. I have had a lot of help from my family. We have a great a working schedule and we are always up to date and on time in everything,” Mollohan said. “It is just a matter of how hard I want to work on each of them. If it is football/soccer season I normally don’t work on baseball a lot. Once those sports are done, I am all focused on baseball.”
How quickly Mollohan has become such an effective kicker on the gridiron is nothing short of impressive. Having a great mentor has been a key factor in his success.
“I have been blessed to have some great coaches in my life like Jerry Umberger. He has been one of my mentors,” Mollohan said. “He started me from the bottom. He told me it was going to be a grind and that I either had to commit to it or walk out. I told him I was in for it. I was out here before freshman year kicking with Jerry working on my craft. That was probably the best help I ever got in my life.”
The fall sports campaign has already been memorable for Mollohan because he helped the Flying Eagles capture the Class AAA Region 3, Section 2 soccer title.
Now Mollohan is experiencing another first in his high school sports career, a trip to the postseason football playoffs. A win over South Charleston secured the coveted playoff spot.
“When the game ended Friday night, I was thinking about every 5 a.m. workout we had and every late night practice we had,” Mollohan said. “It came to me that we had worked so hard for this and it finally happened for us.”
Along with the joy of making the playoffs, Mollohan and his teammates play for another reason.
“I was pretty shocked when I walked out here for the first time and I could actually represent my city and wear Beckley across my chest. I take a lot of pride in that. We take a lot of pride in that,” Mollohan said. “I love this town and one of the greatest things about this town is the football. It is one of the places where everyone comes together at a common point.”
The Flying Eagles will carry that pride with them to Morgantown Friday where they will again have their backs against the wall in a clash with No. 4 University.
“We have been underdogs all year. We definitely weren’t favorites at South Charleston last Friday. Our brotherhood is strong and if we stick to our plan, we are going to shock some people,” Mollohan said.
