PHOTO CAPTION : By The Hartford Courant's Lori Riley. Eric Sanger, the special teams coach at Rockville High, presents senior kicker Molly Wilson with the game ball Friday night after Wilson broke four state records in Rockville’s 69-6 win over SMSA.
Last season, Rockville football coach Erick Knickerbocker tried to get his kicker Molly Wilson a state record for most points scored by a girl in a football game.
The plan backfired when Wilson’s helmet came off after she scored a touchdown. She had to leave the game per the rules and there was no chance for her to kick an extra point because time ran out and she ended up tied for the record (12).
Friday night against SMSA, Knickerbocker knew Wilson was closing in on other female state football records. After she broke one record in the first half and was 6 for 6 on extra point attempts, Knickerbocker decided to go for the single game record again late in the first half. Will J Davis took the ball to the 1-yard line and took a knee. Then Wilson was summoned to score the touchdown. She did, her helmet stayed on, and she kicked the extra point and there was another record broken.
Photo caption: Rockville's Molly Wilson kicks an extra point Friday night in Rockville's 69-6 win over SMSA at Rockville High School. Wilson, a senior, set four state kicking records for a female football player, including career extra points and points scored by a female player in a single game. (Photo by Lori Riley)
In all, Wilson broke four state records and tied another in the 69-6 win over SMSA Friday night.
“For me, it was important, we all wanted this for Molly,” Knickerbocker said. “She doesn’t really care at the end of the day but I think when you start thinking about the significance of a girl playing and she’s been playing for four years, for us, it’s a cool thing. It definitely won’t happen again for me.
Photo caption: Molly Wilson with the game ball after breaking several records Friday night. Photo by Lori Riley of The Hartford Courant.
“I didn’t really expect this four years ago when I met her that she’d be breaking all these records. She’s a special person and we’re lucky she’s on our team.”
Wilson broke the records set by Sabrina Fronte of North Haven for total kicking points for a female player (158, record was 157), single game points (15, record was 12), career points (170, record was 157) and career PATs (155, record was 148). She also tied the record for girls for PATs in a game (she was 9 for 9).
“It’s pretty great,” Wilson said. “I just want to say thank you to my teammates, if they don’t score, I don’t get the chance to kick and Will J for kneeling for me, he could have scored and got an extra touchdown but he kneeled for me so I could score and get that record. So I’m really thankful for all my teammates and coaches for giving me the opportunity to do this.”
Wilson’s father John was a lineman on the Rockville football team that won the state title in 1990. She wears her dad’s No. 65. Their family lives in Tolland and when Molly grew up, she played soccer and her father coached youth football.
“In sixth grade, my dad introduced me to football,” she said. “You can kick the soccer ball, why not kick the football? I played O-line and D-line and I kicked. I liked it so I kept playing.”
When it came time to go to high school, John was surprised and happy when Molly told him she wanted to go to Rockville for the vo-ag program. She wants to study animal science in college.
John was at the game Friday night, wearing his 65 jersey.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “She works hard. She doesn’t just show up in the fall and start kicking, she works all year at it so for her to be recognized for something she loves doing, and setting records is even better.”
Brady Ramsdell was the quarterback for Rockville last season and played for three years with Wilson. He drove six hours from Bangor, Maine where he goes to school and plays football at Husson University to watch his friend and former teammate break all the records.
“When she came in her freshman year, we didn’t really know what to expect from her and to see this now, it’s amazing for all girls in high school – you can do anything,” Ramsdell said. “The day she walked in the building, we’re like, ‘What’s she doing here?’ We thought, ‘Maybe she’s the manager?’
“Then we got on the field and saw her put on the pads and she was just a natural. She just puts on the pads and goes out and plays.”
Wilson didn’t know anyone at Rockville so going out for the football team was a little out of her comfort zone.
“I just came into this program hoping to find family and community here and I did,” she said. “Rockville football means everything to me. It has taught me to be a better person, a better teammate.”
Wilson has made 155 of 175 extra points over her four years, almost 90 percent.
Three years ago, Knickerbocker summoned his freshman kicker to kick a field goal with a minute that would win the game against SMSA. Wilson missed. Rockville lost.
“That was one of the moments I felt terrible as a coach,” Knickerbocker said. “I put her in a position to see how she would respond, as a freshman girl on the team. I think that was a defining moment that changed the trajectory of her career – she was like, ‘All right, I missed that but I’m going to keep working on it,’ and the team accepted her after that.
“It was kind of a ‘Welcome to Football’ low moment.”
Friday night, once again against SMSA, the moment came full circle. The fans were chanting her name in the stands. She got to ring the bell on the sideline after the game, a Rockville tradition, and was presented with the game ball.
“This week, you couldn’t talk to her, she was afraid she was going to miss every kick,” Knickerbocker said. “And she was perfect tonight. Nine for nine.”