Out-of-Door Academy kicker sends his future through the uprights

The Out-of-Door Academy rising senior kicker Mika Levy has a big leg. 

That can be seen on tape as a June 2 practice session video shows the 16-year-old hitting a 60-yard field goal. 

But, according to Thunder Coach Rob Hollway, Levy has a big brain, and a big heart, too.

The trio of attributes has convinced Hollway that Levy's future prospects are, like his kicks, booming. 

"Mika is a weapon," Hollway said. "The strongest leg I've ever coached, 100%. He's a standout soccer player, (he's at the) top of the class, he does incredible service work. He has high character. This kid is destined to be president or something."

File photo

Levy started kicking in McClain, Virginia, on the soccer pitch. He had an interest in football, but did not play it as a young kid because his family was worried about the sport's injury potential.

Things changed when, as an eighth-grader, Levy took a free kick from approximately 30 yards from the soccer goal and scored. After the game, his dad, David Levy, asked him if he used all of his leg strength on the shot. Levy said no, he had used more finesse than power. That's when Levy's dad, seeing the potential in his son's leg, suggested he try a few field goals on a football field. 

Later that year, the Levy family would move to Florida and Levy joined the ODA football team. He's been honing his craft ever since. 

"Through repetition and watching YouTube videos of different kickers, my form got better," Levy said. "I have also been fortunate to have some great coaches, guys who know a lot and have been willing to help me."

Levy cited Will Snyderwine, a former Duke kicker, as one such coach, as well as Hollway and former Syracuse University kicker and Riverview High grad Mike Shafer, among others. Levy said he's taken bits of advice from everyone he works with. Levy also said he's thankful for the great teammates he has at ODA. 

"This is not an individual endeavor," Levy said. "No one gets far on their own."

Levy practices his kicks three days a week before school, and has continued that training into the offseason. Levy said his practice sessions can last 90 minutes. If he's focused on field goals, he can get up 30 or more full-power kicks in one session. But other days he focuses on kickoffs or punts, other duties he carries. 

When Levy is working on field goals, he's not always working on them in a traditional way. Lately, Levy said, he's been improving his accuracy by kicking field goals from the edge of the end zone, parallel to the uprights. The idea of the drill is to curve the ball around the closest upright, then have it come back through before the second upright. It is not easy, Levy said, but it is making him a better kicker. 

He's been showing off his ability at camps this summer. On June 10, Levy was on a visit to Howard University and two days later, he attended a Duke University camp. Hollway said Levy, who has a 4.4 GPA,  is drawing interest from some of the top academic schools in the country, including Ivy League programs.

Levy said academics will play a factor in where he decides to go, but so will the passion surrounding the school's football program. It doesn't have to be University of Alabama-level, he said, but he wants to be somewhere with fans who care. 

While Levy is improving as a kicker, he's also also focused on being a better person. Over his spring break in April, Levy and his family went to Sierra Leone, to the community of Kamassasa, to do service work. Levy said his family has roots there, and he believes it is important to try to give the people there the most opportunities to succeed that he can — just like the opportunities his family was given after leaving.

"We were helping them rebuild lots of buildings and develop a learning center," Levy said. "I also did a drive at school to send them books and supplies, and we're sending some clothes, too. When I went over there, it was grounding to see all that I came from. The people there, even with the conditions, they couldn't be happier. They have made a community where people want to help each other out. It's why I think we should do the same." 

Levy said he introduced the sport of football to the people of Sierra Leone, showing them clips on his phone. Their reaction was positive, he said, and the schoolchildren even tried playing it themselves. 

Levy's eagerness to give back to Sierra Leone in those ways is a rare trait in someone his age. Combined with his academic scores and his kicking prowess, I'm not surprised that Hollway called him a potential future president. Even if Levy's path never takes a political turn, he seems like someone drawn to important work, in whatever field he chooses — and doing it successfully.