CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Editor's Note: The attached video originally aired Oct. 2, 2020.
Providence Day School kicker Sydney McCorkle is accustomed to breaking norms, and with good reason.
In 2020, McCorkle made history by becoming the first female to play varsity high school football in the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association. She was also the first girl to score in a game, kicking two extra points in a 48-0 win over Charlotte Latin.
The moment, which was a couple of years in the making after athletic director Nancy Beaty got special permission for McCorkle to play, didn't really sink in at the time. After all, McCorkle had been playing for the school since she was in seventh grade and had ingrained herself as part of the Providence Day football family.
McCorkle, who grew up playing soccer before hitting the gridiron, knew her debut was important but she didn't allow it to define her.
"I thought about it but it wasn't really a big deal for me," she said. "I didn't realize I was getting so much attention in the news, but my team was so supportive of me."
Chad Grier, the head coach at Providence Day, says McCorkle has been a sensational teammate and refuses any special treatment for her accomplishments.
"She's made it exceptionally easy," Grier said. "She's just one of the team. She's never asked for anything different or any special consideration. She's just one of us, she's awesome."
McCorkle's first big moment came in her freshman season against Charlotte Country Day. Grier called on the freshman to deliver an onside kick to get momentum on their side. McCorkle executed it to perfection and Providence Day went on to win 35-30 to win the conference championship.
"That was unexpected," McCorkle said about Grier's onside kick call. "It was kind of an odd onside kick. I'd never really done anything like it but the placement, I just put a little backspin on it and it just bounced back to our players a little bit. I was really proud of that kick."
Fast forward to the 2021 season and McCorkle's kicking duties grew even larger. Jake Porter, Providence Day's long-range kicker, had surgery for a torn labrum, meaning it was up to McCorkle to handle all field goals, kickoffs and extra points.
On Oct. 22 against Rabun Gap, what should've been a deflating play for the Chargers turned out to be a game-changer. McCorkle made a touchdown-saving tackle and Providence Day held on to win 25-14 en route to the playoffs and the state championship.
"We had just gotten momentum and now they're gonna take it right back," Grier said. "Syd jumped on his back like a steering anchor and just takes him to the ground. It should've been a momentum play for them and instead, our sideline goes berserk. Our kids are going crazy, our fans are going crazy. It became a momentum play for us, we got them off the field in three plays and we went out and scored again to ice the game."
Grier called McCorkle fearless, and her experience playing in middle school gave the junior confidence she'd bring down the returner.
"I knew it was a really big game because it was basically for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs," she said. "I was like, ''I'm just gonna go for it.' I don't want to just stand here and do nothing, so I got the tackle. After I made the tackle, I just heard the student section go crazy, and after I got to the sideline, everyone was like, 'that was so cool.'
"Looking back on the film, you just see our sideline and it's a really cool video because they're all jumping up and down."
Grier also praised McCorkle's toughness, recalling a practice late in the season when he had to take her off the field because she tried playing through an ankle injury.
"She wasn't hitting it as well as she normally does and one of the kids said, 'coach, you know her ankle is like, purple,'" Grier said. "So I'm like let met go see what's going on and get to the bottom of it. I literally had to force her off the field and take her to the trainers. She goes, 'I'm fine, I'm fine.' She's just tough."
So what's next for Providence Day's rising star? McCorkle says she's hopeful to play in college and would like to stay involved with football after her playing days, whenever that time comes. She's already visited several schools in the ACC, including Clemson, Miami and Wake Forest, and she has plans to attend several camps this summer.