Orange Observer: Sports Spotlight — Kyle Huntt

As the lone senior on the Foundation Academy lacrosse team, Kyle Huntt only got the chance to play seven games before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. After he graduates, he will attend the University of North Florida, where he’ll work toward becoming a physical therapist.

How did you end up making your way to lacrosse?

I’ve played football for most of high school, and when I wasn’t able to play my senior year because I had to work, I had an opportunity to play a spring sport and lacrosse just popped up at Foundation and I was like, “I’ll try it out.”

What was the biggest difference for you between football and lacrosse?

The contact. In football, there are rules for hitting, but not as many as there are in lacrosse, and that took some adjusting to get used to. 

What were those first few practices like for you?

Honestly, it was a lot of fun, because I had never played lacrosse before. I’ve had other people tell me that they don’t believe that I’ve even played lacrosse before, but that was because of (head coach Victor Rodriguez). For the first few weeks around Christmas, we just practiced fundamentals, and that’s where I really learned it.

What was your favorite of playing lacrosse? The hardest part?

My favorite part has probably been being a part of a brand-new sport for a school and still playing like a team that has been around for a while. The most difficult thing I had to tackle was probably getting used to the running. In all the other sports, there isn’t as much running as there is in lacrosse — other than that, I think it was worth it. I had a lot of fun.

What did you enjoy most about playing defense? What was something that took time to get used to?

Something I really enjoyed while playing it was just the aggression it takes to play on that side of the field. One thing that took time getting used to is I play in the middle — there are three defenders that play in the middle — and so I would try to  attempt to block shots with my body.

Despite the season being cut short due to the coronavirus, how did you like playing lacrosse?

I can say that through the season, it was the first sport that I have ever played that I was excited to go to practice and learn more. Then when the games started coming, it just got better, because that’s one thing that lacrosse and football has in common — games are a lot better than practice.

As a senior, what is it like knowing that you’ve probably played your last high school game due to the season being suspended?

It’s tough. It’s tough to think about honestly, because I’ve had a lot of fun with lacrosse, but if there are any intramural teams that need a defender, I’d be willing to play.