A new talent

WASILLA — Petite, probably not much more than 5-foot-4, with her long brown hair falling from inside her helmet, down her bright red jersey, Ashlynn Frizzelle stood unassuming on the sideline.

As her Wasilla junior varsity teammates drove the ball down the field against the Houston Hawks last Friday, Frizzelle watched patiently, waiting for her cue.

With the ball sitting on the left hashmark at about the 18-yard line, Frizzelle got the signal.

As the Warriors prepared to line up for the field goal, Frizzelle, Wasilla’s junior varsity placekicker, put her head down and scampered on to the field. Though small in stature, compared to nearly everyone on the turf that day, it was there where Frizzelle showed her strength.

With the holder kneeling down to wait for the snap, Frizzelle took a few steps back and a few more to the side. With one swift and powerful kick, Frizzelle sent the football spinning and soaring through the air, and between the uprights.

With that boot, Frizzelle kicked a 35-yard field goal.

This time last year, football was the furthest thing from her mind. At least, that’s until Wasilla junior varsity Chuck Pfeifer had an idea.

Last spring, Pfeifer watched Frizzelle, a multisport athlete at Wasilla, play on the Wasilla girls soccer team.

“I watched her kick a soccer ball. She kicked it 55 yards,” Pfeifer said.

After seeing that, Pfeifer grabbed a football and brought Frizzelle, a friend of his son Cody, to the field.

“I just wanted her to try it out,” Pfeifer said. “I told her, just kick it. We fixed a few things, and she started booting them.”

Frizzelle, who has being playing soccer since the age of 6, said going from kicking the round ball she was used to striking to the oblong football was a fairly easy transition.

“It’s not that much different,” Frizzelle said. “The beginning was a little hard, but after I got used to it, it was pretty easy.”

Now, after some work with the Wasilla football team’s kicking coach, Blake Livingston, and seven junior varsity games under her belt, Frizzelle has 17 points.

She has 14 point after touchdowns to her credit, and that 35-yard boot against Houston, her first career field goal. That’s undoubtedly a Wasilla school record for points by a girl on the boys football team, J.V. or varsity, Pfeifer said. And it could be an unofficial state record too, he said.

Frizzelle thought she’d be able to split the uprights a few times during the season, but is a little surprised by the 17 points, and flattered to have a potential record.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” Frizzelle said. “I didn’t think I was going to have 17.”

Livingston, who has coached Frizzelle alongside with varsity kicker Paul Sliwa, said she adjusted well to kicking the football.

“She’s a very talented soccer player, so it’s a fairly natural transition,” said Livingston, who was also a standout soccer player who kicked on the football team for four seasons in high school and another two at the college level. “In addition to that, she’s got a fairly strong leg.”

Livingston said he’s worked mostly with Frizzelle’s footwork and finding the sweet spot of the ball.

Thanks to the time Frizzelle has worked with Livingston, Pfeifer said he’s seen his junior kicker add about 10 yards to her field goals in practice.

“Before she was good anywhere inside 25 (yards), now it’s 35,” Pfeifer said.

Livingston said about 35 yards, much like her kick against Houston, has been Frizzelle’s range in practice.

“She really got a hold of that against Houston,” Livingston said.

Livingston said Frizzelle has also benefited from working out with Sliwa, who has kicked 16-of-19 PATs and five field goals this season.

“It’s really helped her that she works out with Paul Sliwa, who, arguably, might be the most talented in the state.”

Sliwa — who has hit a 50-yarder in practice, Livingston said — and Frizzelle are examples of the influx of soccer players on local prep football teams.

Players obviously need a strong leg to put the ball through the uprights, but the need of simply just a powerful leg is sort of a misnomer, Livingston said.

“The majority of field goals, especially in high school, are from 40 yards and in,” Livingston said. “Accuracy is more important, and being mentally tough. Ashlynn is very mentally tough.”

And Frizzelle showed the accuracy and the mental toughness when she hit the 35-yarder from the left hash, both coaches said.

Frizzelle, who also plays on the varsity girls basketball team at Wasilla, hopes for one of those sports to be part of her future after high school. She may not take her ability to kick the pigskin beyond Veterans Memorial Field, but she’s enjoying her time on the football field.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Frizzelle said.

Frizzelle is also a team manager of the varsity team and has even suited up for three varsity games this season.

And on Friday, Frizzelle with have another chance to add to her total of 17 when the Wasilla junior varsity team hosts rival Palmer in the game preceding the annual Potato Bowl.

As far as the future of Wasilla football, the Warriors will continue to look to the soccer team for kicking talent. But thanks to Frizzelle, coaches may be looking at both the boys and the girls programs.

“People don’t think girls can kick that far, but she kicked the soccer ball about 55 yards,” Pfeifer said. “She’s having fun. I’m proud of her that she stuck through it.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.