BY CHRIS MANNING, Northern Tier Sports Report – After the Canton Warriors scored their first touchdown of the season last Friday night against Sayre, the crowd hushed in nervous anticipation, on the edge of their seats, to watch what would be Northern Tier League history.
The second Alexis McRoberts’ foot hit the ball, everyone at the 2023 season-opener knew her name would be etched in local football lore as the NTL’s first-female kicker. Her kick easily split the uprights to put an exclamation point on Canton’s touchdown.
“The boys just kind of convinced me,” explained McRoberts. “They needed a kicker, and they saw me kicking in the gym one day. They said I should try, but I was kind of on the fence.” Their persuasion was enough to get her over to the other side, at least just for extra points and field goals. “I love soccer, and I’ll never give up soccer,” said McRoberts.
The coaches needed little convincing once they saw her kick. “She’s only a sophomore and she has a strong leg, just as strong as Bailey Ferguson,” Canton head coach Tyler Sechrist said. “It sounds nice coming out, she kicks it hard.”
“It felt really good,” McRoberts said about getting that first point under her belt. “To be honest I wasn’t even nervous. I know that my team is good, and they’re going to do whatever it takes to help me out.”
McRoberts was 4-for-6 on extra points in the opener that Canton won 42-0 over Sayre. Canton (1-0) hosts North Penn-Mansfield (0-1) on Friday for a 7pm kickoff in Week 2.
“She’s going to be a weapon for us,” said Sechrist. “I think there’s a chance she could win a game for us this year if it comes down to it.”
