Article by Greg Jaklewicz
Photos Courtesy of WylieSports.com
Finding His Footing
Noah Rehburg had played football.
Well, that game Americans call soccer but the rest of the world calls, say, futbol.
So when Wylie coach Clay Martin needed a placekicker for the 2024 season, he almost had to make introductions.
“Noah, this oblong object is a real football. Kick it through those two posts up in the air, not on the ground. And after you get the hang of it by yourself, try to kick it with fast guys running at you with their hands waving.”
Welcome to football, Noah.
Rehburg now is in his second year as Wylie’s kicker. He has made all three field goals this year and every point after touchdown except one.
The senior converted a 35-yarder last week against Wichita Falls Legacy, his longest kick of the year. He might have gone longer but a holding penalty as time ticked down in the first half put Wylie back to its 46 yard line. Instead of a short pass to get him closer, the Bulldogs tossed the Hail Mary incomplete to end the half.
Rehburg and all placekickers live for the moment when their kick at the end of the game wins it. That happened last year when Wylie overcame Wichita Falls Memorial 45-42 on his field goal.
But Rehburg would be content, he said, if all he did was kick a lot of extra points.
That likely would mean a Wylie Bulldogs victory.
Learning the Ropes
Rehburg has been at Wylie since his freshman year, having previously attended school in the Abilene ISD. His is an Air Force family.
He’s a soccer player, and a good one.
“All my life,” he said. He’s a striker and mid-fielder.
A soccer teammate, Lobo Enduki, and Rehburg were asked to kick for the football team. The “tryout” wasn’t spectacular but it was Rehburg who won out.
“I told them, sure. It took a little bit. I was kicking it like a soccer ball but a football is a very imperfect shape. There is a little bit more to it than kicking a soccer ball. It took me a while to get used to the helmet and pads. You get used to it the more you do it,” he said. “After that day, they told me I was the kicker. Ever since, I have been thriving. I love what I do.”
What he does is not as easy as it may seem.
First, the former soccer player now is wearing football gear.
Secondly, a bad snap or hold means no kick or a bad one.
Thirdly, there are fewer steps. One, two, kick.
Finally, there are those guys trying to block it.
“There are people running at you constantly,” he said. “I picked it up after about a week. After that, it felt like a normal day.”
But that’s just the mechanics.
How about everyone at the game watching you, making noise. Perhaps the other team calls a time-out to distract you?
“It is a whole different atmosphere. I had felt nervous before but that field goal to beat Memorial was as nervous as I had ever been,” Rehburg said.
“I found out what icing was with three seconds left in the game. There is a lot riding on these games as a kicker, you either win the game or you lose the game. So I think it’s one of the most important roles.”
Rehburg recalled that a lot was going through his head.
“But I went out there with a lot of confidence and I told myself a lot of positive talk,” he said. “It wasn’t very long but there was the pressure and everyone screaming and the bands playing.
“There was a lot on the line.”
After falling behind, Wylie had tied the game on a Julius Laine touchdown. As time ran out, Rehburg sailed through a 25-yard kick for the win.
And was promptly sunk by his celebrating teammates.
Rehburg had already hit a game-winner. With under 4 minutes to play at home, he booted a 24-yard field goal to put his team ahead of Lubbock Monterey 29-28. That would be the final score.
“You want to be the person to win the game for your team,” he said. That’s what placekicker live for. “It’s a great feeling.”
He Can Go Longer
Rehburg’s accomplice in his kicking is holder Bo Kates, a junior has been playing well at linebacker.
“I tell him that the most important thing is to get the ball down and he does an excellent job,” Rehburg said. “High snaps, low snaps. He gets the ball on the tee and that’s all that matters.”
For him, it’s tuning out. He did that on the kick in Wichita Falls.
“And positive talk is a big thing, especially if you have previous misses,” he said. “Especially if the crowd is saying stuff. You have to have a strong mindset.”
Speaking of which, he had a kick blocked in a game this year.
“Stephenville has some really big kids and one of their tallest people just slipped through right before I was about to kick it. It wasn’t even on the tee yet and he was in my face,” Rehburg said.
The senior said he has converted a 57-yarder in practice, so he’s ready to try that if Wylie needs it.
What does a kicker work on in practice?
“To be as precise as possible,” he said. “So when it comes down to the moment, I know I can do it. Onside or far field goal or a certain kickoff. I like putting as much effort into it so it’s perfect.”
Everyone in a Bulldogs uniform wants to play. However, when a team goes for a field goal, it may be because the offense failed to get a touchdown.
Rehburg said he’d rather see six points put on the scoreboard.
“There are a few times when I run all the way down there for my kicking net but I do have a lot of confidence in my team whether we’re third and long or fourth and short,” he said. “I know they can get the job done.”
“If I hear they’re going for it, I have full confidence but if I hear field goal, I’m going out there with full confidence that I’m making the kick.
“It ultimately comes down to the team winning.”
That’s Our Boy
Rehburg said his family has enjoyed watching him play soccer, and now seeing No. 35 trot onto the football field.
“We’ve always watched college football but they never really expected me to play football,” he said. “But once they heard I was the kicker, they loved it.”
Rehburg said his goal is to play soccer at the collegiate level. He wants to study kinesiology.
But …
“I would love to keep playing football.”