Brayden Ungard of Williamsport pulls in a pass and runs against Central Mountain at Williamsport High School. Williamsport won 42-0. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Soccer players double dipping as football kickers is nothing new. Several District 4 teams feature such dual-sport kickers and/or punters.

But Brayden Ungard is different. Indeed, the Williamsport junior kicks and punts. But he also plays outside linebacker … and wide receiver … and rarely leaves the field. All this after having never played the sport before this past summer.

Ungard has proven a rapid study and suddenly has grown into an excellent all-around player. It’s a fairly remarkable transition and Ungard’s immediate impact has helped Williamsport start 3-0. He continued thriving last Friday, booming kickoffs, drilling four extra points, making five tackles and adding two catches as Williamsport blanked Central Mountain, 42-0.

“It’s been an adjustment from soccer. The coaches have put me in a lot of spots, expecting a lot out of me early in the season and I’ve just been trying my best to help the team,” Ungard said. “I’m trying to be unselfish and trying to help the team any way I can.”

He is doing so in ways that maybe only he thought he could. A Sun-Gazette first team and Heartland Conference all-star soccer player last fall, Ungard always thought about playing football. His mother had other ideas, but she relented this season.

Williamsport is certainly grateful she did. The Millionaires have been hit hard by injuries as well as some projected starters who opted not to play this season. They feature only two senior starters, so Ungard adjusting so quick has provided a major boost.

It’s not like Ungard is just playing either. It’s that he’s playing really well. He is among the team’s leading tacklers and receivers, has drilled 12 of 13 extra points, as well as a field goal, and his ability to pound the ball on kickoffs has left opponents navigating long fields.

“It was a pleasure to have Brayden come out. We ran into him last summer and he approached us about kicking because of (Division I Williamsport graduates) Connor (Poole) and Parker (Johnson) and took an interest in that,” Williamsport offensive coordinator Reese Holmes said. “As it went on, he started to get more interested and asked if he could just play football. We didn’t want to step on any toes, so we left it up to him.

“He told us he wanted to do more than kick, and he showed up for almost every summer work out and bought in.”

Ungard has seen immediate dividends as well. He averaged 20 yards per catch in his first game at Wyoming Valley West, made nine tackles the next week against Hazleton and added five more, along with one for a loss and a pass breakup against Central Mountain.

Ungard possesses speed, strength and tenacity. He caught his first touchdown against Hazleton and provides a strong presence off the edge at outside linebacker. He already has become a Swiss Army Knife-type player and helped solidify the receiving group which was shaken up when projected starter Tevin Williams moved to quarterback due to quarterback Zion Hughes tearing his ACL.

Now, Ungard is complementing Trey Damschroder and both have caught long touchdowns the last two games. Both complement each other and provide Williamsport a strong tandem after the unfortunate Hughes injury threatened to derail the passing game.

“He’s a big X-factor having him on the field,” said Williams, who has thrown touchdowns in all three games. “I feel like every time I look his way, I can throw him the ball. I trust him to come down with it.”

Ungard has fit like a glove, playing selfless like his teammates. That he has adapted so well at linebacker and wide receiver is surprising, but what isn’t is that he has quickly become a special teams weapon. Poole and Johnson were soccer players who started playing football later in their high school careers and become among the state’s best.

Time will tell if Ungard is the next in line, but he certainly has started well. He kicked a 30-yard field goal at Valley West and made his first eight extra points before the first one was blocked against Central Mountain. Ungard then easily converted his final four attempts.

Equally important, Ungard drilled six of his seven kickoffs inside the 5-yard line, including four which went for touchbacks. The lone kick which did not travel far was also effective, a line drive onside kick which Williamsport recovered to set up a last-second touchdown before halftime.

The long kickoffs had Central Mountain staring at long fields all night. And when the defense forced quick Wildcat possessions, Williamsport flipped the field and started four scoring drives inside Central Mountain territory.

“I try to set up the defense as best I can. I don’t kick much at practice because I have so many other positions, but I try and help the team the best I can,” Ungard said. “Last week I had a big game at receiving but this week we ran the ball a lot more, so I just tried to be unselfish and do everything I could to help the team.”

Ungard already has immensely helped the team and the upside is he still has so much he can learn. It’s been a rocket-like ascension, but Ungard, his coaches and teammates still know the ceiling goes a lot higher.

Ungard has found a home on the football field. What an opportune time to do so.

“He still has a lot to learn but he’s open ears and ready to rock and roll,” Holmes said. “His athleticism is phenomenal. It’s been a pleasure having him.”

“I’ve been happy on the team. I like the workouts, I like the coaches, I like the team,” Ungard said. “It’s a good environment. I just enjoy football.”

Williamsport enjoys having Ungard just as much.

100 CLUB: Justin Van Fleet has never been about personal accolades. It’s always about the team and the players. He has spent his 14 seasons at Loyalsock relentlessly working to not only help his players on and off the field, but to provide them opportunities after high school.

So, Van Fleet reaching 100 wins probably does not move him. Still, it’s an impressive achievement and Loyalsock delivered Van Fleet that 100th win Friday when it defeated Hughesville, 34-6. The Lancers (1-2) won their first game in convincing fashion and the growth shown there has been a hall mark of Van Fleet teams over the years.

Van Fleet has helped Loyalsock go 100-55 throughout his career. The Lancers have reached districts every season during that time, capturing the 2017 district championship. They also have put together 12 straight winning seasons.

Loyalsock already has been hit hard by injuries and faced another obstacle this week when the practice schedule was disrupted after school dismissed early at mid-week when a threat was called into the school. Through it all, Loyalsock put everything together, excelled in all facets and showed why they remain a dangerous team.

“It’s really a testament to how this program has moved forward. Things don’t come easy; we have to work very hard for them every day. There’s always some obstacle that we have to overcome,” Van Fleet said. “I’m very proud of the kids for persevering through a lot of negative and get to the point we were able to get a victory.”

EXTRA POINTS: Loyalsock outgained Hughesville, 468-174 and Jalil Coates stepped up after running back Cayden Sones was injured. Coates moved from receiver to the backfield and ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns behind a line which started taking the game over. CJ Taylor caught his second touchdown and Ivan Baker’s 46-yard touchdown catch helped highlight a game-changing 21-point second quarter. Noah Soha helped ignite the defense with 11 tackles, including nine solos, while Jeremiah Johnson added 10 tackles. Connor Anstadt threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carson Stackhouse for Hughesville and also caught a 45-yard pass from Nick Stubbs … Montgomery put together a dominant and bruising performance, pounding Sayre, 58-0 and outgaining it, 498-57. The offensive line put on a clinic, paving the way for 483 rushing yards. Nine players averaged a remarkable 17.3 yards per carry and five scored. Lincoln Miller (122 yards, touchdown) and Josh Knoebel (117 yards, 3 touchdowns) topped 100 yards and quarterback Parker Persing ran for 92 yards with two touchdowns. The defense has allowed just six points in two wins and Trace Furman made 12 tackles, including 1 ½ for loss, while nine players produced tackles for loss … North Penn-Mansfield is 3-0 for the first time since 2016 after mounting a last-minute drive and defeating Towanda, 24-17 on Luke Kreger’s 2-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds remaining. Kreger ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes and intercepted another. Jeremiah Lawrence ran for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Patrick Youmans made a career-high 13 tackles. Brody Grinnell kicked a 22-yard field goal and Sudan Benner made nine tackles … Lewisburg gave undefeated Bloomsburg a battle, losing 35-24. The Green Dragons (0-3) erased a 14-point first quarter deficit, taking a four-point halftime lead as Xavier Quarter threw for 160 yards and totaled three touchdowns. Jaylen Walker caught seven passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns and Nick Coleman returned a kickoff 92 yards for a score … South Williamsport (1-2) hung tough with defending 2A state champion Troy, trailing by just eight late in the first half before the Trojans pulled away and won, 42-13. Levi Butler caught six passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, while Cole Gerber threw for 155 yards. Freshman Garrett Lorson ran for 90 yards; while adding 41 receiving and Cade Lusk ran for a score … Wellsboro won its first game, forcing four turnovers in a 14-6 win at Wyalusing Saturday night. Marek Mascho intercepted his third pass in two weeks, while Reed Richardson and Hayden Stevens combined for 16 tackles. Griffin Morral threw for 100 yards and a touchdown, adding 84 yards and a score rushing. Kody Enck caught a touchdown as well.

–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse