Feature written by Jacob Horton, Sports Information Intern
MONTGOMERY, Ala. ----- Like most student athletes at the collegiate level, Auburn Montgomery women's soccer freshman defender Brittany Havenner excelled at multiple sports during her high school athletic career.
Havenner played four seasons of varsity soccer at South Paulding High School in Douglasville, Ga. She earned multiple awards for her efforts on the pitch, including most valuable player, team captain, and best defender.
Havenner undoubtedly experienced her fair share of success as a soccer player, but that's not what makes her story so peculiar; she was not your average multi-sport female athlete. In addition to playing varsity soccer, she also lettered three years on the varsity football team.
From 2012-2014, Havenner served as the starting kicker for the SPHS varsity football team. She handled all extra point and field goal duties for the Spartans, while also handling the occasional kick off.
Havenner likes to describe her football experience as something that was out of the ordinary, but a pleasure nonetheless. She noted that the competition was fierce, but it didn't faze her from winning the starting job.
"It was different, being the only girl on the team," Havenner said in a recent interview. "I was kind of babied on the team. I was like the little sister, and I had 100 older brothers… It was hard (the competition), because guys are just naturally stronger, but I was more about accuracy than strength. At first, the coaches told me I was always going to start on extra points, and every now and then they would put me on field goals just to see how I would do. Then it ended up being to where I kicked both field goals and extra points."
Havenner put up impressive numbers during her career, including a junior campaign in which she was 57 of 61 on extra point attempts. Her senior year was cut short due to an ankle injury, but that didn't stop her from racking up postseason accolades. She finished the year 12 of 13 on extra point attempts, while also knocking down a career long 33-yard field goal. Havenner earned 2014 5A All-Region honors and ranked top-10 in the state of Georgia in kicking. She finished her career 90 of 98 on extra point attempts.
For Havenner, kicking was something that came naturally to her. She gives credit to her father, Joe Havenner, for introducing her to football one fateful afternoon.
"Me and my dad used to go out and practice kicking a lot," Havenner said. "One day when we were practicing he brought a football out there. I tried kicking it and it went really far."
A great opportunity such as the one Havenner was provided with often comes with great responsibility, and during her time as kicker, she did nothing but positive things. She was regularly looked up to by younger female athletes in the area and served as a role model for girls who wanted to partake in male-dominated sports. Havenner admitted that becoming that role model figure was a very humbling experience.
"We had this club called the Jr. Spartans that was made up of elementary and middle school kids," Havenner said. "There were a few cheerleaders in that club. They thought it was so cool and told me that they wanted to try it. There was one 12-year old soccer player who told me she wanted to play for the Jr. Spartans football team because of me, which made me feel really good."
Football has also helped Havenner in many ways. It served as an effective way to stay in shape during the soccer offseason. It has helped her become recognized across Georgia as one of the top female athletes. Most importantly, it has helped her seamlessly transition into collegiate athletics. The confidence she took away from being able to be a part of a successful football team has made it that much easier for her to find her place here at AUM.
"It makes me feel more confident, because I had to try so hard in high school to earn my spot," Havenner said. "There are so many more people on a football team than on a soccer team. It made it easier for me to connect with a smaller group of people, because I could connect with such a big group."
The future is bright for Havenner as she completes her first season as an AUM Warhawk. Although she is no longer playing football, look for her accomplishments during her high school career to continue to inspire female athletes all across her home state of Georgia and even the country. If her collegiate career is anything similar to her high school career, there is no telling what might be in store for her next.
