Cole Ruehling, shown here from Senior Night for Rhea County High School Football with parents Micah and Melody Ruehling, recently signed a scholarship offer for the University of the Cumberlands to play football.(Photo:GaryBolden/RCM)

Ruehling Will be Play for the Patriots and Study Education

Cole Ruehling recently signed to play football at University of Cumberlands in Kentucky. Cole will play football and specifically be a kicker. Cole has been a kicker for the Rhea County High School football team for 4 years. He started in his sophomore year for the Eagles. Cole is the son of Micah and Melody Ruehling and has two brothers, Cooper and Carson as well as sister Cammie. Cole took time to answer a few interview questions for Rhea County Magazine.

Talk about the process of making a college choice?

"I was struggling to think about what I really wanted to do in college. I wanted to play football then on the other hand, I wanted  to play soccer or just do nothing for a year. I got a call to go and visit the University of Cumberlands campus and when I got there I found it was a very beautiful campus. I accepted the scholarship offer and we will see how it goes. The coach called me and gave me 24 hours to make a decision. So, you know, I just went with it."

Did you visit any other schools?

"Yeah, I visited Georgetown College. That's also in Kentucky. And then I visited Cumberland University which is in Tennessee. Cumberland versus Cumberlands. Pretty cool. Yeah."

So why education?

"As you know, I just always like being interested in sports and physical education. Wanted to be a teacher and coach. That's the one that I like. I want to be able to do that. I want to be a coach. Just, yeah. Well, I want to stay around sports."

Talk a little about your sports played as a youth?

"So going up, I played all kinds of sports. "I played tennis, baseball, yeah. Pickups. I picked up soccer in the fifth grade, I started kicking football in seventh grade, I also played basketball. I played baseball up until about 10 years old. I played basketball up till 5th grade. I played some flag football in Chattanooga, but no youth football."

When did you think you could play football at the next level?

"I actually didn't decide obviously. So I actually just decided just recently that it was going to be football. I didn't really pursue playing soccer at the next level. So yeah, I was thinking of visiting. Yeah. Up until the beginning of my senior year, I wanted to play football. When I got the offer, that's when I made it my mind."

At your signing ceremony, your head football coach Mark Pemberton brought out the fact you were pretty small coming into the program. Do you remember what you weighed?

"When I was a freshman, I was like 85 to 90 pounds. I was able to grow a lot, thanks to the weight program."

So go through the process where you decided to be a kicker for football?

"So I was really just playing soccer and then one day we're out in the yard and I kicked the football. Dad told me I looked really natural. So next year I just went out for football."

What's the, what was the main learning going from kicking a soccer ball and they not, this happens all the time. Lots of soccer, kick soccer players, and end up kicking a football. What was the main learning that you went through learning how to kick football versus kicking a soccer ball?

"When you kick a soccer ball, you really want to keep your shoulders over the ball like you don't hit it really high and football versus like first football. You want to get your shoulders, you won't lean back so you can get under the bottom and get a good high from the football so they can get blocked."

What's the longest field goal you ever kicked?

"Once I hit from39 yards, and in practice, I hit a 55 yarder one time.

What was your favorite football memory or memories?

"My football memory was during my sophomore year. We were playing Walker Valley at home. We were undefeated at the time. And we got down early, we'll come back in the fourth quarter. I was able to pick an onside cake, and we covered it and came back and won the game. It was a really fun night and that fourth quarter of the outside kick."

So what do you do to improve your kicking? Is there any special exercise you do to increase your leg strength for kicking or is it not leg strength?

"Kicking is interesting. It's not just strength, but it's also your technique. It's just like hitting a golf ball, if you don't have good technique, it's not gonna go anywhere. I give credit to our weight coaches, and time spent in the weight room. They really know what they're doing. They are really able to make me grow and get stronger. I remember my freshman year in practice. I hit a 40 yard field on it. Took everything from me to hit it. And this year, I was able to hit a 55 during practice, and that just shocked me because of the kind of growth. I've been able to get."

If you could talk to your young kid, five, six, seven years old, just starting out on his athletic journey. What kind of advice would you give him about his choices?

"So going up my family, we always have these four rules. We always go by that you play hard, honor God, be a good teammate, and have fun. The advice I give you is "just live by those four right there."

What are some of your hobbies if you have time, outside of school and athletics?

"I just spend my time on sports and like just hanging out with my buddies. Love to play pickup basketball, or pick up a ball. Just anything, fishing, golf,...."

What was the hardest sport to learn?

Definitely golf. If you're off, you're off by in an inch, ou can end up really bad for you.``

What lessons have you learned from your coaches and teachers?

"That's interesting, that is always keeping you on making. Sure you're paying attention and that got that also portrayed to the sports field. Make sure you're paying attention and listening and learning can't. Can't listen. When you're talking."

What's your favorite subject at school?

It's actually History. . And that's a, a lot of people find history boring. I love history. It's just interesting, to see how America came to be America, or it's about all the past world wars and stuff. It's just really cool to me."

What makes a good teacher in your opinion?

"Teachers always being in a good mood. If you never know how bad a student's day could be going and if you're just mean to them, they could just make their day worse."

How has your faith molded into your academic and athletic endeavors?

"It's just been developing a church. Going to the church for my family is a big part of the church. Really made an impact on me. It just really showed me how to be a good man, on and off the sports field or in the school. You know, because you never know if you know how to have an impact on people at any moment. You gotta always watch yourself but kind of attitude you have or you know I mean mmm I like how you just talk to people."