'She’s one of a kind': Castle's Aleyna Quinn thriving as football kicker, soccer captain

NEWBURGH, Ind. — Doug Diedrich keenly recalls a conversation with one of the Castle High School football coaches last year about who would be the starting kicker come fall.

The problem was the Knights didn't have one. Their starter for the past three years was set to graduate. Diedrich didn't hesitate to make a suggestion.

How about his star junior forward on the girls' soccer team, Aleyna Quinn?

“Don’t know if she’ll do it, but with her mentality and strength, she’s the one who could do it," he remembers saying. "She is just a special athlete. She’ll be good at whatever she does.”

This was the genesis of an idea. It led to a meeting, a basketball game and a conversation in the school hallway. Would one of the top athletes in the school — really, all of Southwestern Indiana — be interested in playing two high-profile sports at once? Would the increased workload scare her off?

That's why you need to know Quinn. She's the ideal athlete to make this work.

How Aleyna Quinn became the first female to play football for Castle

It had been joked about since middle school: Aleyna Quinn, football player.

She is the youngest of three, always on the go. Quinn looks up to her older siblings, notably her sister, but has always set about doing her own thing. One of the top soccer players in the state. A starter on the basketball team. Quinn would likely play softball too if she could make the schedule work.

But her latest challenge wasn’t one she considered. To be fair, she had never seen it done.

Indiana high school football:If there was high school fantasy football, we'd pick these Evansville-area standouts

The family was first approached this past winter. Her father, Matt, and head football coach Doug Hurt are friends. Their daughters have played basketball together since second grade, so Hurt pulled him aside to talk at a game at North High School in January.

Following a receptive meeting, Hurt then approached Quinn in the hallway at school. They wanted her to kick on Friday nights. A big grin flashed across her face.

“She is a ferocious competitor,” said Hurt. “Watch her play basketball or soccer, do anything. She is a gifted and natural athlete. I don’t know many male or females as gifted as she is.”

Quinn and her family discussed it. She was still nursing a foot injury, so that was a concern. But her parents left the decision up to her. You didn’t need to ask her twice. That grin still comes back when talking about it.

What followed was accelerated training starting in May with special teams coordinator John Gilles and kicking game consultant Greg Steenburg. Quinn watched YouTube videos and took advice from those in club soccer who had done it. She put in extra work. She wanted this.

Three months later, Quinn was named the starting kicker. Her number was called less than five minutes into the opening game against North. She made all four extra-point attempts that night, becoming the first female to play football for Castle.

“It was nerve-wracking,” said Quinn. “I had never been on a football field. The crowd was amazing. After that first one, I settled in and the guys had my back.”

Her parents watched from the stands. They joked she must have kicked 50 times into the practice net on the sideline. They weren’t sure if she would be successful but knew she’d put in the effort to make it work. She always does.

A photo of Quinn on the sideline with Steenburg quickly made the rounds on social media. She had that same giant smile. That’s when it became clear she belonged.

“She likes a challenge,” her mother Sheri said. “She is competitive. I think she liked the fact they believed she could. That smile on her face, that’s great as a mom. She’s doing what she loves and is successful at it.”

On the court, the pitch and now the gridiron, Quinn has always been a standout athlete

Her athleticism has always been obvious to those who know her and watch her compete.

The junior has been one of the top high school girls' soccer players in Indiana since she arrived. She scored 27 goals as a freshman. Her encore was 32 goals with 10 assists and a first-team All-State selection last year. Quinn can play forward, defender, or even goalkeeper.

What about basketball? Quinn averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 rebounds as a sophomore. She was the second-leading scorer for the eventual sectional champions, but a foot injury caused her to miss several games. Quinn scored 19 in two of the Knights’ opening three games.

Castle High School:40 years ago, the Knights showed the rest of the state that Southern Indiana could play football

Word on the street is she can swing the bat, too. Her mother wishes she would, but travel soccer has taken priority in the spring. Quinn was already excelling at two major sports at one of the largest schools in Southern Indiana.

So, why not another?

“I think she understands the process,” said Diedrich. “If she’s going to do it, she’s going to be good at it. Not halfway. That’s what makes her special.”

Quinn is a perfect 14-for-14 on extra points. She’s booted 17 kickoffs for an average of 54.3 yards. She even had a touchback against Mater Dei, returning to the sideline with a high-five from the coaches. The difference between kicking a football or a soccer ball is minimal in her mind.

One thing that hasn’t happened yet is a field goal. It nearly did against the Wildcats in the final minute of a 17-14 loss. Quinn says her consistent range is 35 to 40 yards but quickly notes she made one from 47 in practice.

“I know the team has confidence in me,” said Quinn. “They’ll give me that opportunity because they know I’ll be able to do it. The amount of time (the coaches) put in, I appreciate so much.”

Having watched her compete since she was a kid, Hurt has no doubt Quinn could make a big kick. She is helping the team now. That won’t stop because the distance is longer.

“(Steenburg) said in all the years he’s been doing this, he doesn't think we’ve had a kicker attack the job like she has,” said Hurt. “He’s coached his own kid and a lot of great kickers. She’s one of a kind.”

Soccer hasn’t taken a backseat. Quinn leads the No. 4 Knights with 13 goals. She scored four in the first 11 minutes against Central. She’s looking to pass more and play where coaches need her. Quinn was named a captain despite being a junior. The team was undefeated until a loss on Tuesday.

“She’s been absolutely incredible and a great team player,” said Diedrich. “She’s been a captain in every sense of the word. She’s doing everything we ask. Players like that don’t typically play like that.”

Quinn has been challenged as she balances two sports at once

She quickly realized in the opening week how difficult it is to make this work.

Quinn kicked for the Knights at North on Aug. 19. The soccer team had a match at Bloomington South the next morning. In hindsight, Diedrich would have told her to ride with her parents for some extra sleep. Quinn was on the bus at 6 a.m.

Atypical, yes. But in reality, her schedule is anything close to normal.

On Monday, it’s just soccer. The rest of the week is split. A possible special teams meeting followed by one hour on the football field to work on the basics, mostly repetitions. Quinn then heads to soccer for another 90 minutes. That may vary if there is a game. Diedrich has also told her not to come on Fridays.

Next, throw in school. It might be 9 p.m. before she starts homework. Teachers and other staff have been flexible. It can still be a lot to ask of a teenager.

“Busier than last year,” said Quinn. “It’s hitting me now getting into big games for soccer and bigger games for football. It’s tiring but I think it’s worth the work you put in. It keeps me busy. I enjoy it.”

The extra training paired with schoolwork has been one concern for her parents. Her mother stays pretty strict with her to set limits. As any teenager would do, she occasionally tries to cross them. Time management was never a strength until recently.

They also say that compared to her siblings, school is a different challenge. But they never question her effort.

“It’s a challenge for us to keep her balanced,” said Matt Quinn. “We didn’t know how successful she would be at football. She has always been one where she’s going to put 110% into it. She works hard and that’s her strongest suit. We have to monitor her a lot.”

How she makes it work has a lot to do with her coaches. Diedrich, who was previously the boys' soccer coach, and Hurt have shared athletes in the past. It helps that soccer practice is usually after football since Diedrich doesn't work at the school.

If she needs a break, her soccer coach understands. He subs her out if they have a big lead. Quinn has seen more rest the past week and didn't kick against Harrison last Friday. The junior also swapped positions in soccer to ease a tired leg.

“It’s always a concern with any player,” said Hurt. “The poor kid has been nagged by injuries in basketball and soccer. She is doing a great job for both programs. Doug Diedrich has been amazing to work with. We really owe him a lot of credit.”

The last thing anyone involved wants is another injury. Quinn ended the past two soccer seasons hurt, first her knee and then her foot. She jokes she’s just an injury-prone person. Right now, it’s muscle tweaks.

Her parents, both physical therapists, make it a point to monitor any issue. They and the coaches also trust her to make the call. If she can play, she’ll play. If not, she’ll take a break.

“She knows her body and is just smart,” said Diedrich. “It’s different. Everything she does is team-oriented. She gives 100% all the time. That’s a concern and why we want to ease into it.”

This all begs the question: Why?

Why play for two highly competitive programs at the same time? Well, because both are better with Quinn on the field. Neither wants her to overdo it. She'll never do anything halfway.

It’s simple, she says. Quinn is constantly approached by people to wish her luck or say, "Great job." That type of constant support has been uplifting. It’s also the interactions with her younger neighbors or kids at games that hit differently.

Quinn never gave it a second thought when asked to play football. But she was the first female at Castle to take the field. It’s uncertain if any Evansville programs previously had one on the roster. She could be the first in the area. Even if not, Quinn has a message to the next generation:

“You can do whatever you want,” she said. “It’s something different that not a lot of people think about until they see someone else do it. I’m hoping to inspire those others. You can do anything. More and more females will have that power.”

Her parents admit it wasn’t something they thought about, either. This was simply their daughter attempting another sport. It just happened to be football.

Aleyna Quinn. Soccer, basketball and now football player. That has a good ring to it.

“Whatever makes her happy and she enjoys,” said her mother. “If she can inspire a few girls, that’s great.”

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Castle's Aleyna Quinn thriving as football kicker, soccer captain