#42
Sophomore
Placekicker From: New Iberia, Louisiana Know this: He hunts and cooks what he kills. His favorite dish to make is a jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with fresh duck and bacon. “You can’t get any better than that.”
Colby Delahoussaye remembers it like yesterday.
He was a sophomore at New Iberia High School, playing cross-town rival Westgate in a jamboree. In his first varsity game he missed two kicks. Then, with the game on the line, Delahoussaye kicked the game winner.
Back then, he says, he wasn’t as mature. He was overthinking his kicks. Now, he’s calmer, he says, no matter the situation.
What goes on in your head on the day of a game?
I just keep the mindset that I’m doing the same thing every day. I might have a few nerves, but when I go out on to the field, I don’t know what it is or where it came from, but all my emotions just go out the window. I don’t notice the crowd. I don’t notice anything. I put my head down, and muscle memory takes over. I just kick the ball. I’m just kicking another kick, and that’s the way I need to look at it. If it comes down to a national championship, .02 seconds left and we’re down by 2, I have to think about it as a normal kick back at our practice facilities. It’s the same exact kick no matter what. You have to blow everything out of your head and keep it straight.
Did you play soccer when you were a kid?
Soccer was my first love. I’ve played soccer since I was 3. My dad used to coach. I used to play and practice with his high school teams when I was a little kid. Played soccer all the way through high school.
When was the first time you took your talents to the football field?
Back in elementary I would play flag football and all that. There were no kicker spots. I could run pretty well. I would play receiver or something. Going into my eighth-grade year, my dad said that I should try kicking for the team. One afternoon, we decided to go kicking, and it grew from there. I knew that I was pretty good at it. By freshman year I was hitting 50-yarders.
Do you think hunting and fishing requires the same patient mindset that kicking does?
Yeah, that’s right. Fishing, you throw out a line or reel, and you have to be patient for that one time. When that one fish does come, you have to make sure you’re ready for it. Just like kicking. You may not kick until later in the game; you have to keep your leg warm. It’s similar in that you’re waiting and maintaining a mindset, thinking you can kick or catch something in the next second—just like that.
The team is young, but what do you think of it?
I’m confident in them. Our team is hungry. I can see it. The way we’ve been working out, it’s awesome. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this year. We have the talent to do anything we want. What it comes down to is heart and putting all the effort together and being a team.
