Barons’ all-star punter is now Central’s jack-of-all-trades player. Here’s his story …

Here’s a cool story for you:

When it comes to fall sports, you probably know Manheim Central’s Jeff Strait for his prowess as the Barons’ soccer goalie and punter.

But the further Central has gone here in the District 3 Triple-A football playoffs, the more positions Strait is playing.

Without having to worry about getting dinged up for soccer, Strait has worked his way into other positions on the football field.

Like cornerback, plus the punt and kickoff teams.

Against Cocalico in the district quarterfinals last Friday night, I kept hearing the PA guy announce a Central tackle by Jeff Strait, and every time I scratched my head, wondering why he was in there in non-punting situations.

Turns out because of his athleticism, Central coaches have been getting Strait on the field more and more. And he’s responded, making tackles on special teams as the ‘gunner’ and seeing some time at corner.

I chatted with Strait the other day about his new-found gig, how he’s handled learning all of these positions basically on the fly, and what it means to him to be contributing by more than just punting – and he’s a heckuva punter, by the way.

You can listen to Strait tell his story by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.