WPIAL Alum Q&A – Adam Mitcheson

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, December 11, 2017 | 10:40 PM

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Photos courtesy of Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com

With the PIAA football championships concluding over the weekend, the fall sports season has officially come to an end. As a result, this will be the final edition of the WPIAL Alum Q&A which focuses on that season, as attention to shift fully to the winter sports.

Although football fans are often fixated on quarterbacks, running backs and receivers, games often are decided by kickers. Adam Mitcheson, formerly of Kiski Area and now at Buffalo University, has compiled an impressive kicking resume. He is under the spotlight for this week’s edition.

Mitcheson was a member of the Cavaliers team in 2011, when he booted eight extra points, as well as a field goal. Kiski Area sputtered to a record of just 1-8 that campaign, though.

The following year was much better for the Cavs, as they finished at 4-6, including a postseason appearance that ended with a first-round defeat to Upper St. Clair. Although Mitcheson was limited that season, he made a 50-yard field goal and converted all three of his extra-point attempts. He also punted 13 times, averaging nearly 41 yards.

As a senior in 2013, Mitcheson punted 35 times, averaging more than 38 yards per punt. He also compiled 18 touchbacks on kickoffs, made 23 of 26 extra points, and was successful on 11 of 14 field goal attempts, including a long of 46 yards. That season, the Cavs finished 5-5, again falling to Upper St. Clair in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Mitcheson also competed in basketball and baseball at Kiski Area, but the gridiron was his future. He signed with the University at Buffalo, and redshirted in 2014.

In 2015, Mitcheson appeared in all 12 games for Buffalo, making 13 of his 19 field goal tries. He also made 31 of 36 extra points. The Bulls concluded that season with a record of 5-7, including 3-5 in Mid-American Conference play.

As a sophomore, Mitcheson converted 11 of 18 field goals, as well as 21 of 23 extra points. Buffalo didn’t fare as well collectively, though, as the Bulls went 2-10, and won just once in the conference.

This past season, Mitcheson nailed 15 of 24 attempts, including a long of 49 yards. He also made 37 of 40 extra points, netting 82 total points for the season. The Bulls, meanwhile, finished 6-6, and 4-4 in the conference.

Adam took time away from the field to answer questions about his most pressure-filled kick, his thoughts on Kiski Area’s new football field, and how he initially became a kicker.

Q: You set career highs this season for field goals and extra points made. How have you improved during your time in college? 

A: Just working every day to perfect my craft – whether that is film study, working out, or kicking – I just try to find something to make me better. I work with Adam Tanalski, a kicking coach up here in Buffalo, year around; he has a lot to do with my on-the-field success.  

Q: This season, you converted a 49-yard attempt. What do you consider to be in your range? 

A: I would say 55-60 with no wind. My 49-yard attempt against Ohio, it was a windy day, and I hit from 70 in warm-ups. Playing in the MAC, the weather is not always the nicest, especially later into the season, so it really just depends on the wind and temperature that day.

Q: How do your in-game and practice routines differ from your teammates? 

A: For practice, I do have a lot of time by myself; I usually only have a few periods a day during practice when I am actually kicking in a full team setting. As far as games go, a lot of my teammates are jamming out to music, trying to get hyped up. For me, I try to just relax and clear my mind.

Q: What has been the most pressure-filled situation in which you had to kick thus far in college? 

A: That is a tough one. I have had so many. I would have to say against Western Michigan this year. There was like 15 seconds left on the clock, and we were down by three. I hit a 34-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.

Q: Despite being bowl eligible, your team was not selected for a bowl game this season. What was your reaction to that? 

A: We are all pretty disappointed. We thought we had a good resume. On paper, our record does not look that good, but of our six losses, we lost a bunch of close ones. We beat the Conference USA champs and three Conference USA teams got in before us. We won our last three games; we were on a roll. It hurts not to be selected for a bowl, but I know it will put a chip on our shoulder moving forward.

Q: What led to your commitment to Buffalo? 

A: It was a long journey to get here. I had attended a ton of college football camps my junior year summer in high school to the colleges I knew were offering a kicker. I attended a bunch of national showcases, trying to get my name out there. Buffalo’s special teams coach reached out to me over social media asked me to come up for a visit. My parents and I hopped in a car the next day, and they offered me that day. I had a few other offers, but Buffalo has great academics, it’s pretty close to my home, I liked the area of Buffalo, and it just felt like the right fit.

Q: What is your major, and ideal future profession? 

A: I am majoring in sociology, with a concentration in legal studies. I will be going to graduate school here this spring to get my masters in educational studies. I want to do something in law enforcement. I would prefer to do something at the federal or state level – FBI, DEA, State Police – something along those lines.

Q: What has been the most difficult transition from living in Pittsburgh to Buffalo? 

A: Not being around my friends and family in Pittsburgh.

Q: You played three sports at Kiski Area. What was your fondest high-school memory? 

A: Just being able to play sports with my best friends I had growing up. College sports is a business; in high school you are able to just have fun and play for the love of the game. I love playing football in college, but it is more of a job now.

Q: What was your opinion when you heard that Davis Field would be replaced by a new field for the Cavaliers? 

A: I hate to see Davis Field being replaced – I had so many amazing memories there, from going to games since I was little to playing there – but if we are going to compete with other big schools, we need facilities to match theirs.  

Q: How did you first become a kicker?

A: My dad and I would bring a football to soccer practice and kick afterwards when I was little. Then in eighth grade at football practice, the coach asked if anyone could kick. I raised my hand, and it all started from there.

Q: Who is your favorite professional athlete?

A: LeBron James

Q: Who is your celebrity dream date?

A: Carrie Underwood

Q:  What is a hidden talent you possess, or a little-known fact about you?

A: I don’t like sweets.

Tags: Adam Mitcheson, Kiski School, University at Buffalo