LIVE OAK, Fla. (WTXL) — Ask any football coach, and they'll tell you it takes performing in all three phases, that's offense, defense, and special teams, to win a game. Suwannee has seen that first hand, as Braxtyn Green has been clutch as a specialist all season long for the Bulldogs.
Sometimes, the difference in winning and losing, comes down to a kick.
"It's such a weapon," said Bulldog head coach Kyler Hall. "A lot of our close games this year, the field goal has been a big difference."
That weapon for the Suwannee High School football team is Green.
"He's been doing this since he was six or seven years old it seems like, and when the pressure kicks are there, he steps up in the moment," said Hall of his senior specialist.
"I was in fourth grade, and we had a really good kicker here and I'd watch from the sidelines, and I'd go out there and kick with him pregame," said Green. "That's how it started, just kicking then, and it grew into something I love."
It's a stressful role, but one he embraces, and getting this program where they want to be, is what motivates him to be great.
"Every time I take the field, practice, games, I'm like, this may be my last game of the year, so I have to put everything I have into it."
"You see the maturity with the guys that grew up in the program. You see the confidence grow," added Hall. "You see when struggles come, you see him handle it better. I've seen him really embrace it, and I've seen him take this all in, because at some point this year is going to end."
The numbers show it. Green is nearly perfect in point after attempts, and his numbers, are just as high in the classroom. Green has a 3.84 GPA.
"Taking place during that time, I was like, I don't want to do this, I want to go hang out, but I'm like no, stick with this and it'll all work out," he said of his schoolwork. "I'm glad I did that, because it's paying off in the end."
"He's been a stand-out student since he stepped foot here on campus as a freshman, and he's been a great example of what it means to be a student athlete," added Hall.
The kind of kid who gets it done, with a kick you can count on. Along with all the kicking responsibilities, Green also punts for the Bulldogs. He said he does want to continue kicking in college, where he wants to major in sports medicine with the goal of becoming an athletic trainer.
