Soccer player turned football player, Kicker Pelton-Kelly looking forward to next chapter

They are the lone athletes on the field, often the sideline, only used at specific points in the game, and are often forgotten. But, you don’t mess with the kicker.

Playing for the Central Kings Rural High School Gators, Clay Pelton-Kelly was awarded the NSSAF football league Most Outstanding Kicker for 2016-2017. An all-star kicker who will be representing Team Nova Scotia in this year’s FCC in Wolfville, will be looking to gain as much exposure as he can in order to get to the next level.

It’s no surprise, then, when he said that he played soccer for eight years and that those skills transferred to the field and gave him an edge as a football player. “Kicking just comes natural to me,” Kelly said. Kicking his first 45 yard field goal was one that Kelly won’t soon forget as he said “it was a great feeling”.

So why isn’t he still playing soccer?

“I started playing football because a friend of mine, Jacob, told me I should come play football with him for our school team. He said the team could use a good, strong, kicker,” Kelly recalled. “I thought about it for awhile, then I decided to give it a try.”

It obviously stuck because Kelly is already looking to use his kicking skills to open doors for him at the next level. He attended the Maritime Combine in 2016 and felt that he did pretty good considering he had only been playing football a few months.

“I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life attending University and with any luck playing football,” he said. StFX, St. Mary’s University, and Acadia University are all being considered for Clay, with the ultimate goal being to play at a professional level once his university days are done.

Kelly thinks he won’t have any trouble adjusting to the next level. He said he works hard and is dedicated to his team.

“I plan to continue to work hard and improve myself overall as a Kicker and as an athlete,” he stated. “Football is a means for me to have a more fulfilling life.”

He goes on to say that he “grateful” for all of the support from his parents, his coaches, his teammates, friends, and volunteers that make football a go in his life. But more specifically, he wanted to give a special shout out to his buddy, Jacob.

“He’s the one that convinced me to give football a try,” he said.  “My whole football experience has been a whirlwind. I wouldn’t change a thing!”

Clay Pelton-Kelly
Kicker
5’10, 148lbs

Teams: Central Kings Rural High School Gators, Team Nova Scotia
Official visits: none
Unofficial visits: none
Considerations: StFX, SMU, Acadia, open
Commitment: none
Class: 2018