Teagan Meier (18) congratulates Ava Musinski (10) after Musinski scored her second goal on the afternoon at 5:39 left in the first half against Lake-Lehman. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Warrior Ava Musinski (10) muscles her way to shooting a goal between two Lake-Lehman defenders scoring at 19:11 in the first half at home. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Patriots’ kicker/punter Cole Baldwin sends the ball flying during a Pittston Area game. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Cole Baldwin’s Fridays have become hectic since fall arrived.
On the last Friday in September and the first two in October, Baldwin doubled up, filling his role as center back on the winning Pittston Area soccer team where he is a four-year letterman, then joining the championship Patriots football team where he is finding success as a kicker in his first season on the team.
“Those nights are very long,” Baldwin said. “It’s a lot to go from a soccer game to go straight to football, without a warm-up or anything, and go out and kick then hang out with all my friends afterward.
“It’s a great time.”
Ava Musinski also understands the challenges of combining the two sports.
The leading scorer on a first-place girls soccer team at Wyoming Area has seen her duties on the school’s successful football team increase in recent weeks.
An injury to starting kicker Gavin Feeney moved Musinski from an occasional chance as a back-up into steady work adding points to a potent offense.
When pressed into duty in Week seven, Musinski made her first four tries. Serving as the team’s primary extra-point kicker last week against Lake-Lehman, Musinski made all four attempts to improve to 10-for-11 on the season.
Baldwin has been in that spot all season for Pittston Area, going 35-for-40 on his extra points and adding a field goal, making him the highest-scoring kicker in Division 1 f the Wyoming Valley Conference.
As late as this summer, neither was sure that two sports in one season was part of their fall sports plan.
“The coaches asked me to come out for it,” said Musinski, whose father Rich is the team’s offensive coordinator.
A soccer player since she was “4 or 5 years old,” Musinski has scored 37 goals for the Lady Warriors.
In addition to playing outside midfielder and forward for Wyoming Area, the sophomore plays travel soccer for MatchFit Surf in New Jersey.
“Since she came on, she acclimated very quickly to kicking a football,” coach Randy Spencer said. “We’re very comfortable and confident in her handling those duties in a game now.”
Stepping in as the primary PAT and field goal kicker “is a little more pressure, but I enjoy it,” Musinski said.
The kicking skills translated from one sport to the next and Musinski has settled into game conditions and concentrating on her kick with the rush coming at her.
Baldwin had talked about the possibility of doubling up in the past, then learned of the team’s need when new coach Paul Russick contacted the soccer coaches looking for help.
“One of the main reasons that I came over to play football is that a lot of my very close friends are playing,” Baldwin said. “ … I was talking to them a while ago and they said ‘give it a shot’.
“I came over and it worked out great.”
