GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Victoria McMinn’s first and only snap as Ironwood High School’s freshman team tailback didn’t go exactly as expected.

She hasn’t forgotten it.

“It was bad,” McMinn said. “I just stopped…I don’t even know if I went one yard.”

Her tenure as a ballcarrier was short-lived, but that’s not why she was wearing the Eagles’ maroon and black jersey that night. The sophomore has excelled as Ironwood’s placekicker for extra points and short field goals since she was a freshman last year.

Initially, though, none of her teammates took her too seriously.

“I remember my freshman year they all thought I was there to run and get in shape,” McMinn said. “None of them thought that I was there to play football.”

The team ended up being incredibly receptive to the idea and it paid dividends. McMinn has been described as “automatic” within 30 yards and her coaches constantly praise her pinpoint accuracy.

“She might have missed one extra point all season, but that was more of a snapping and holding issue,” junior varsity head coach Dan Buegeler said. “Every time we got it teed up she put it through, she made even a field goal in one of our games.”

The field goal attempt came against McClintock High School, a 29-yarder from the left hash that she easily converted. It wasn’t luck, as McMinn has consistently demonstrated that she is one of the hardest working players in the program.

Every practice after the stretching and special teams periods she would go by herself to the side of the field and kick – and retrieve – her own field goals for anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour. She’s also on the Eagles’ soccer team and a student involved in the school’s robust athletic training program.

What does head varsity coach Ian Curtis think fuels her?

“Competitiveness,” he said. “She’s a competitor. She likes being in that environment.”

McMinn will say she just thought it would be fun to try being the kicker, but it’s clear this isn’t a side project for her. Every weekend during the season she traveled to AZ Kicking, a personal training facility ran by former Ironwood High School and University of Arizona kicker Alex Zendejas, Jr. and his father. Curtis has noted that she has made tremendous improvements since joining the program.

“Her accuracy this year improved dramatically,” Curtis said. “She’s pretty much automatic…anything around a 30-yard (attempt) and in, she’s solid.”

The biggest challenge McMinn faces is gaining leg strength, which both Curtis and Buegeler will admit is difficult to overcome, yet not impossible. She works with Zendejas in terms of weight training and even lifts with the team when she’s not playing soccer.

However, Curtis remains confident that if she continues to work hard McMinn will have a shot to produce at the varsity level.

“If she sticks with it, I would have zero hesitation putting her in for extra points and short-range field goals.” Curtis said.

McMinn got her first taste of the top-flight when Curtis invited her and the rest of Ironwood’s junior varsity squad to stand on the sidelines in uniform and support the varsity team during its final two games.

“Victoria took advantage of that,” Curtis said. “She was excited as can be to be on the sideline. She was just happy to be there, to be part of the team, to celebrate.”

McMinn’s latest – of many – attempts to get involved with Ironwood’s athletic programs, placekicking for the football team, is a relatively young one compared to how long she’s been playing other sports.

When asked about what she’d like to do moving forward, though, she offered a surprising response.

“Right now, I’d rather play football, I just have more fun playing football.” McMinn said.

In light of her performance at other positions, though, she laughed and mentioned one caveat.

“I’d just be kicking.”