Concord-Carlisle’s First Female Football Player In the Spotlight

In his sorta silly song "Lonesome Kicker," Adam Sandler sings, in his Adam Sandler way, about the sad anonymity of the soccer star-turned-football kicker. 

But this isn't the 90s. And kickers aren't quite so anonymous anymore. Especially when they're not just one of the guys. 

Abigail Ojemann is not just another soccer player-turned-kicker for the 3-0 Patriots of Concord-Carlisle High. She's also the team's first ever female player. 

While Ojemann is getting some love from Boston area press this week -- with features in both the Boston Herald and the Globe -- her football journey actually began before she hit high school. 

According to the Herald, Ojemann was scouted by coach Mike Robichaud's father Al, who spotted her booting field goals at the opening of the CCHS turf fields four years ago. 

“He saw me kicking at our turf field opening and I beat out all the boys,” Ojemann told the Herald. “I kicked a 45-yard field goal that day, which is the longest I’ve ever kicked one. He asked me if I’d like to try out as a freshman, but I loved soccer a lot and I was devoted to it. ... By my senior year, I didn’t have the experiences that I wanted during soccer. I wanted to challenge myself with something new and (football) has been everything I wanted it to be.” 

The Patriots are 3-0 on the year, and Ojemann has already begun to prove her worth on the young season. She was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point attempts in CC's tidy 35-18 win over Lexington. 

Watch the YouTube video above to see Ojemann go 4-for-4 in practice against Needham. 

Not that her teammates or coach are surprised. Both Robichaud and Austin Hoey, the team's starting quarterback and holder, told the Herald that Ojemann was the best person for the job of CC's placekicker. 

And that sentiment was echoed by long-snapper Adrian Diromualdo in the Globe story. 

“I was kind of surprised when she said she wanted to play,” Diromualdo, a senior captain, told the Globe. “ It has taken a lot of courage and toughness on her part to follow through, but I’m proud of her that this is something she decided to start, and I know she’s going to finish.”

Ojemann isn't the only CCHS senior athlete playing against traditional gender roles this season. 

As the Globe notes, Ranger Beguelin, the goalie for Concord-Carlisle’s varsity ice hockey team, is suiting up as the goalie for CC's field hockey squad this fall. Read more on his story here.