CADIZ, Ky. (KT) — Olivia Noffsinger, daughter of Kentucky Baptist pastor Kyle Noffsinger and his wife April, has been a three-sport standout in high school. Now she will tackle a fourth sport as she begins her college career.
The Trigg County High School senior signed a letter-of-intent Friday to play women’s flag football at Campbellsville University.
Her father, senior pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Princeton, said Olivia is excited to play a sport “where she could just have fun.”
In her high school career, she was a high-profile player — beginning with basketball as an eighth-grader when she hit a pair of three-pointers in the district semifinals, propelling Trigg County to the first of three consecutive district championships.
She is fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list and has the record for most games played (144). She also has the most three-point baskets in school history (201) and won all-district and all-region honors multiple times.
In soccer, although she was a defender, she ended her senior year with 15 goals and five assists. She was named to all-district and all-region teams.
Last fall, she joined the Trigg football team as a kicker, making 46 of 48 extra points — having the second highest PATs in Trigg history. She hit 27 straight extra points at one time and was listed among the top kickers in the state.
“She has always had enormous pressure on her,” Kyle said. “She was always looked to as the one to make things happen. When she played football her senior year, she knew she had nothing to lose, but being a kicker is pretty nerve-racking because everybody is looking at you. Her whole athletic career she felt eyes were on her and looking to her.”
He said a visit to the Campbellsville campus, meeting the coaching staff and experiencing the campus atmosphere proved to be key factors in her signing with Campbellsville, which is the only college in Kentucky offering the 7-on-7 sport.
“Olivia wasn’t sure she wanted to do flag football, but she saw some games and practices and met the coaches. She said she would love to play and compete — and to have fun.”
There are 17 NAIA colleges that offer women’s flag football — most of them in the midwest or southern states. All of the colleges are private schools, ranging in student population from 350 to more than 16,000.
“She watched Campbellsville play a team out of Florida on her campus visit,” Kyle said, noting that “all the Florida players played football all through high school.” Campbellsville completed its first flag football season recently, finishing 5-12.
“I’m really excited for her — it is a good opportunity,” her father added. Flag football doesn’t have extra point kicks or field goals, but does have punting, “so that may be an opportunity for her. She also plans to work with the Trigg football team this summer running receiving drills.”
Academically, she will take courses to pursue a career as a chiropractor.