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Former Bison kicker takes his game to the next level




 

 

Two summers ago, John Jenkins was drafted by the NBAs Atlanta Hawks, making him the first professional athlete to come out of Station Camp High School. Jenkins now has company in the pros as fellow Class of 2009 graduate Christian Reed has signed with Nashvilles newest pro football team.

Two summers ago, John Jenkins was drafted by the NBAs Atlanta Hawks, making him the first professional athlete to come out of Station Camp High School. Jenkins now has company in the pros as fellow Class of 2009 graduate Christian Reed has signed with Nashvilles newest pro football team.

Reed, a kicker who went to Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., was signed by the Professional Indoor Football Leagues Nashville Venom on May 13th. The Venom, who play their home games at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, are in their first season as an expansion franchise in the PIFL.

Being the first former Station Camp football player to reach the pro level is not something Reed is overlooking. He hopes to be a role model for future Bison with dreams similar to his.

I’ll never forget where I came from and that was Station Camp. The coaches, especially Coach (Shaun) Hollinsworth, have always supported me and so have the teammates I had while being a Bison.

Reed participated in an open tryout with the Venom, though he was not immediately signed. The Venom instead went with another kicker, Garrett Morgan from Central Arkansas. Morgan was ineffective, making only one field goal out of six tries. Thats when Reed got his chance.

It was a fun process getting to talk to Coach (Billy) Back about my contract and being signed onto the team. It was a phenomenal to know that I was signing on with my first professional team and it’s a team in my hometown, said Reed.

Reeds professional football hopes were put on hold in the fall of 2012, when he suffered a torn quad in the middle of his senior season at Wofford. In fact, there were questions as to whether the muscle would ever fully heal. Reed missed the latter half of his senior season and took an entire year to recover.

It was a long journey but I feel stronger both mentally and physically having gone through that process, Reed remarked about his road to recovery from the injury.

After his first two Venom appearances, theres no question that Reeds leg is back to full health and that hes back to the days when he broke numerous kicking records at Station Camp and Wofford.

The hope for Reed is that his success wont stop there. The former Bison kicker has high aspirations; however, his strong showing with the Venom proves that those goals may be within reach.

My overall dream is to kick in the NFL. If the AFL is the next level before the NFL then I would gladly play there too. I have developed a huge love for the indoor game, said Reed.

For now, Reed, who doubles as an assistant manager at NCG Cinema in Gallatin, will continue to work on his craft in preparation for any other pro opportunities that may lie ahead. Those interested in seeing him play at home this season have at least one more chance: June 28th against the Trenton Freedom at 7 pm.

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