NATCHEZ — Up until two years ago, all Cristofer Thompson had seen was a soccer ball.

Now, the Adams County Christian School freshman will be suiting up for his first competitive season of American football.

Thompson, who grew up in Costa Rica and moved to the United States two years ago, said he is excited about the new opportunity he has.

“I was home schooled last year, and in home school there are no athletics and you don’t talk with friends much,” he said. “I wanted to play sports and have more friends, so I decided to come to ACCS.”

Thompson said he found out about ACCS through friends at church.

“All of them said they like AC and I wanted to try it out,” he said. “So far, I like it.”

Another thing Thompson is liking is football, simply because it is something different.

“From kindergarten until seventh grade, when I lived in Costa Rica, it was soccer all year long. I’ve always just seen soccer,” Thompson said. “Then we got over here and they have something different and I like it. It is something other than soccer, which I had been around my whole life.”

Thompson said the transition to the game was difficult at first, but he has made strides as time passed.

“Since I watched it on television in Costa Rica I understood the rules a bit,” he said. “But then when I came up here and started practicing with ACCS, it was completely different. We were actually going through plays and I was right there. It is a whole lot different actually doing it instead of watching it. But the coaches actually took time to explain to me what was going on and that helped me a lot.”

Naturally, Thompson found his niche on special teams as a kicker.

“When I first got here, playing as a kicker never crossed my mind,” Thompson said. “But I always heard that a lot of place kickers used to play soccer before and could kick a football just as well as a soccer ball. I tried that out and ended up being pretty good at kicking footballs.”

Thompson said kicking a football and soccer ball has its similarities, but it all comes down to getting a routine.

“After you start kicking a good bit, you develop a habit of kicking the ball the same way,” he said.

The wait for his first competitive football season is almost over, and Thompson said he is already hearing the buzz in the air.

“Everyone is really excited about Friday night football and can’t wait,” he said. “I want to experience that and see what everyone is talking about.”

Thompson also plans on playing wide receiver and safety for the Rebels this season.