Already a soccer and tennis star, Griffin follows older brother as kicker at Danville
DANVILLE, Ill. (BVM) — Kedzie Griffin has been a multi-sport star throughout her time at Danville High School. But this spring, an opportunity to add a new sport to her resume came about.
“My eighth grade year, a lot of the lunch monitors were trying to convince me to kick for the football team,” Griffin said. “And it really made me think this is something I want to do.”
However, Griffin also began playing tennis in high school. With that as her primary fall sport, it made football more of an afterthought. That is until this spring.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic took away opportunities for many athletes, it brought about a new one for Griffin. With fall football canceled in Illinois and later modified to a six-game spring season, Griffin’s chance to become a kicker finally came about.
“I texted our athletic director asking if our football team needs a kicker,” Griffin said. “I emailed the coach and asked him if I could kick for the team and he said, ‘Yeah, just sign up and come get your gear tomorrow.’ Practice started two days after that.”
At first, things were a bit awkward for Griffin and some of her Danville teammates as she made the adjustment to becoming part of a football team.
“When I walked into the equipment room to get my stuff on the first day, I don’t even know if they realized that I was actually going to be on the team,” Griffin explained. “It was just really funny but we just adjusted better as we went. They became some really good friends and I had a lot of fun getting to know these guys.”
Finally acclimated, Griffin was ready for her first chance in week one of the season. However, she certainly felt some nerves, and the first game didn’t go quite as planned.
“Our first game I went zero for three on extra points,” Griffin said. “I was really nervous and had a couple bad holds. It was just an off game for all of us.”
Griffin would improve by going one for two on extra points in the second week of the season. From there on out, she would not miss another point-after attempt the rest of the campaign.
“I had a lot of fun and I started to really like it towards the end,” Griffin said. “I would like to kick as a senior, and will have to figure out what the football and tennis schedules look like, but I’m willing to do that.”
Not only has football given a new opportunity to Griffin, but it has also helped her inspire many girls to perhaps follow in her footsteps.
“I do think there are girls inspired by me,” Griffin added.
The Danville junior is not the first one in her family to have athletic success. In fact, kicking runs in the family. Griffin’s older brother, Caleb, is currently a kicker and wide receiver for the Illinois Fighting Illini. Caleb was a four-sport star during his time at Danville, including being an all-conference kicker.
Seeing a couple starts during last year’s shortened Big Ten season, Caleb is well on his way to making a further impact for the Fighting Illini. Within his family, he is also someone Kedzie looks up to.
Meanwhile, Kedzie’s other older brother, Cameron, also was a college athlete, playing soccer at Quincy University. Growing up competing with her brothers in soccer specifically was something Kedzie will always appreciate.
“It was awesome to be able to play with them and we had a couple other family friends who would come over and we’d play in our backyard,” Kedzie said. “Caleb and Cameron were two of the best soccer players we’ve ever had at Danville High School. Being able to look up to them was really awesome.”
All three siblings have been taught the game by their father, Chris, who spent two years on the pitch at Illinois College as well. Between her dad and brothers, Kedzie was always destined for a career in soccer.
“My dad played in college and both my older brothers played soccer so I was always at their games,” Kedzie said. “It was easy for me to be on the sidelines kicking a ball, it was just second nature to me.”
Now, several years later, Chris has had the opportunity to continue teaching the game to his daughter as the head coach of the girls soccer team at Danville.
“It’s been super nice having him as my high school coach,” Kedzie said. “When he was the boys soccer coach when I was younger, I would always go to the boys practice and I got to do all the drills with them. I think it made me a better player.”
Of course, with so much athletic success in the family, there have been times where Kedzie has felt pressure to live up to the family name. However, she has realized there is more than one way to do so.
“I have felt pressure to live up to the family name,” Kedzie noted. “But in the last couple years, I’ve realized I can live up to the family name in other aspects of life.”
Kedzie is talented in many facets, but she certainly has no shortage of athletic ability. Her love for soccer has led her to a nice career on the pitch, where she has gained a strong ability to see the field while becoming an aggressive player.
As her freshman season of high school soccer for the Vikings was an adjustment, her sophomore season was heartbreakingly canceled. More adversity struck when the Danville football team was put into quarantine due to an opponent testing positive for the coronavirus this spring. But now, after a long wait, Kedzie is finally back on the field playing the sport she loves.
“My biggest goal is to just have fun, because once it’s over, it’s over for good,” Kedzie said. “We don’t graduate many girls this year so I think we’ll have a good team next year, too.”
There is no doubting Kedzie’s passion for soccer. But what she may not have expected coming into high school is that she would share her athletic love with a new sport, tennis. With her friends convincing her to play before the start of her freshman season, Kedzie has quickly emerged as a leader for the Vikings just three years later.
“Freshman year was my first year and I played JV all season so I only played a couple of matches,” Kedzie explained. “Sophomore year I was put into our lineup because we didn’t really have many girls and I didn’t really play much in the offseason between freshman and sophomore year, but I had a lot of fun in my sophomore year. So, I got a membership at our local tennis center and started playing twice a week or more. I grew a lot between sophomore and junior season and it paid off.”
Kedzie would go on to win a conference championship last fall, while also finishing third at sectionals with her doubles partner. Now, she will look ahead to one more season on the tennis court at Danville, which could be busier with football in the fold.
“I think I’ll enjoy the busy schedule,” the three-sport athlete said. “I think I’ll do well with the busyness of next fall.”
Beyond next year, Kedzie is not sure if she will continue her sports career. However, if the opportunity comes to follow in the family footsteps, she will definitely think about it.
“I think if the opportunity arose, I would definitely consider it,” Kedzie said. “I’ve never been one that’s wanted to continue my athletic career into college but I do think it’d be fun. It’d be cool to follow in my family’s footsteps.”
Whether she plays in college or not, Kedzie wants to stay involved in sports in any way she can, whether it is as a photographer, social media manager or physical therapist. But first, she will conclude her time at Danville with one more special year. There is no doubt the Griffins have left a tremendous impact on their school, and no matter the facet, Kedzie hopes she has added to it.
“I just hope the teachers can speak to my name and say that I’m very hard-working and that I get my work done,” Kedzie concluded. “I want my coaches to say the same thing in an athletic sense or point of view.”
