Blacksburg’s Camden Wise connects on an extra point as Tiquest Terry holds against Glenvar this past Friday night in a benefit scrimmage.
Blacksburg begins the football season on a high note after winning the state 3A title this past year, and a lot of that success came on the foot of senior Camden Wise who’s following in his brother’s footsteps. Carson graduated three years ago after a successful career at BHS.
You might credit Carson with convincing Camden to give the oblong ball a try. Both had played soccer as youngsters and seemed destined down that path.
“Yes, I started playing soccer in the first grade, but after watching my older brother start kicking the football, I decided to give it a try,” Wise said.
A short time later, he began his football journey as a fifth grader in the Blacksburg recreation league. While their dad had played football, he never was a kicker. The elder Wise played strong safety, so it might have come as a surprise when both of his sons starting getting their kicks on the football field.
Since that early age, both the Wise boys started attending kicking camps and clinics. This summer, Camden attended five major camps and as many as a dozen others trying to solidify his technique and maybe catch the attention of some college coaches along the way.
At 6’0’’ and 155 pounds, he is the prototypical size for a kicker. Last season, he was 54 of 56 on point after attempts. The two that he missed were blocked.
With the high-powered Bruin offense, Wise kicked off a record 44 times with an unbelievable average of 50.3 yards with most of his long kicks being inside the 10-yard line or deeper. He was also two of three on field goals and had one rushing touchdown to his credit on a blocked kick.
Coach Thad Wells calls Camden a huge asset for his team. “He can force opponents to start on the 20-yard line, he can flip the field with his punts, and he can hit game winning field goals over 50 yards.”
Last season, he did attempt a 60-yard field goal that fell a little short. He hopes to change that this season and maybe get a chance to hit the long ball for Bruin fans.
Camden Wise hopes to again follow in the footsteps of his older brother and parlay the high school kicking career into a college scholarship. Already he’s gotten some attention from some major programs with scholarship offers from Richmond, James Madison and Army.
When it comes to having a brother that also kicks, it has been nice. Camden said his brother has been supportive and helpful.
As a junior, Camden was named to the 3A first team all-state squad. Blacksburg opens the 2017 season Friday at Giles.
