Mountain Crest’s No. 77 is a little bit bigger than most kickers.
And after Eli Wells boots a field goal then kicks off, his work isn’t done. He also plays nose guard for the Mustangs defense.
Oh, and right tackle on the offensive line.
“He’s one of the biggest, most athletic kids I’ve ever been around,” Mountain Crest coach Jason Lee said.
Wells saw plenty of the field during Mountain Crest’s 17-7 win over Stansbury in Thursday’s Class 4A state semifinal.
“I was there for my teammates, and they just keep me going,” said Wells after his team clinched a spot in the state championship game. “I give all I got every down. If it gets me tired, I just try to play through it.”
Wells booted a pair of PATs following Mustangs touchdowns and also connected on a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Wells does get a modicum of rest on defense because he’s part of a rotation. But he’s always on the field on offense, and he sometimes applies technique from a different sport when he goes one-on-one with defensive ends.
See, Wells finished second at the Class 4A state wrestling meet last year. He competed at 285 pounds.
“Sometimes I’m like, ‘Hey, this is a wrestling match. Here’s the circle I draw myself.’ And I just try to take them down,” Wells said. “I try to be the one on top.”
Wells added that he doesn’t worry about getting called for holding penalties, but his coach believes that his senior actually is quite knowledgeable about his role — and what he can get away with.
“He’s such a good kid,” Lee said. “He knows what he’s doing.”
The Mountain Crest coach said that Wells also runs (“He runs marathons too,” Lee said), and the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder will head out to the soccer pitch in the spring.
“I do like kicking, and I play soccer, so that’s really helped me with my foot,” Wells said. “I play forward and goalie. They’ll put me in a position that works for the team.”