{"id":91815,"date":"2025-11-04T08:42:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T14:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=91815"},"modified":"2025-11-04T08:42:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T14:42:23","slug":"emergency-kicker-to-defensive-leader-fhsus-polley-finds-his-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=91815","title":{"rendered":"Emergency kicker to defensive leader: FHSU\u2019s Polley finds his moment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By GARRETT WELLBROCK<\/strong>
<\/strong>Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Fort Hays State University\u2019s regular kicker went down late against Washburn University on Oct. 25, all eyes turned to an unlikely hero \u2014 Michael Polley, a bandit back and walk-on safety who hadn\u2019t kicked a football in a college game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moments later, Polley drilled a 34-yard game-winning field goal in overtime, sealing one of the most dramatic wins of the Tigers\u2019 season and etching his name into team lore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just had a feeling it might come down to that,\u201d Polley said. \u201cI was nervous, but I was ready. I\u2019d hit a game-winning extra point back in high school, so I knew I could do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t just the kick; it was how it happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polley, who\u2019d spent most of the afternoon patrolling the defensive backfield, was suddenly tasked with handling the game\u2019s most pressurized moment. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThe holder, the snap, everything was perfect,\u201d he said. \u201cIt made my job easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kick capped a gritty, defensive battle in which Fort Hays State overcame a slow offensive start to rally behind its defense and special teams. For Polley, it represented more than just three points \u2014 it was validation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was huge for us,\u201d he said. \u201cThe offense struggled a little early, but we stayed together. This win means a lot, especially for the seniors. It gives us confidence and momentum moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That confidence has mirrored the junior\u2019s steady rise through the Fort Hays program. A former walk-on from Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita, where he earned all-state honors with 70 tackles and two interceptions as a senior, Polley redshirted in 2022 before carving out a role on special teams and defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He appeared in every game in 2023 and 2024, earning a spot on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll each season \u2014 a reflection of his discipline on and off the field. This fall, he\u2019s taken on a larger defensive role, tallying 29 tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups through 10 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s also made his presence felt in big moments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, Polley snagged a highlight-reel interception against University of Nebraska-Kearney, returning it for a touchdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just trusted my speed and instincts,\u201d he said. \u201cThat play gave me a lot of confidence early in the season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this year hasn\u2019t come without challenges. Injuries have forced the Tigers to shuffle personnel in the secondary, pushing Polley and his fellow safeties into new alignments and responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an adjustment,\u201d he said. \u201cWith Jaxon (Kolzow\u2019s) injury, communication became even more important. We\u2019ve had to trust each other and talk more. Everyone\u2019s stepped up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite frustrations from unmet team expectations, Polley\u2019s message remains grounded in perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t get too down,\u201d he said about a 5-5 overall record with one game left on the schedule Nov. 15 at Emporia State University. \u201cWe just have to keep supporting each other and competing for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That mindset stems from his journey as a walk-on \u2014 a role that taught him resilience and humility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came here because I loved football,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I visited Fort Hays State, I just fell in love with the place. I\u2019ve worked hard every day since, and it\u2019s paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From walk-on to emergency kicker, Polley has shown that opportunity favors those who stay ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about doing your job, whatever the team needs,\u201d he said. \u201cIf that means making a tackle, breaking up a pass \u2014 or hitting a field goal \u2014 I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was written as part of INF 322: Sports Writing, a course in the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By GARRETT WELLBROCKTiger Media Network When Fort Hays State University\u2019s regular kicker went down late against Washburn University on Oct. 25, all eyes turned to… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3387,7349],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football-sports","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UCM-11-1-AM-23-scaled.jpg?fit=1707%2C2560","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91815"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91818,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91815\/revisions\/91818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}