Family Tradition: Will Love

Spartanburg High School football has enjoyed a great run of success in their kicking game over the last decade. It started with Henry Bishop, and the only way I can describe the last 5 years is with the title of a Hank Williams Jr song  – “Family Tradition.” If that is not your cup of tea, maybe Archie and Edith Bunker come to mind – “All in the Family.” 

Whatever way you choose to describe it, the story is about the placekicking powerhouse that is the Love Brothers – particularly the youngest of the 2 and current SHS senior Will. 

John Love picked up where Henry Bishop left off in 2021, turning his success in high school into a division 1 career at Virginia Tech. You may have seen him if you watched the Hokies take on South Carolina this past Sunday, where he went 3 for 3 with a longest kick of 56 yards and accounted for 9 of VT’s 11 points. But before heading to Blacksburg after graduating from Spartanburg back in 2022, he handed the reins of the placekicking duties at SHS over to Will, who for every bit as reliable and capable from long distances as John is, has proven himself to be even better. 

For perspective, in his first 3 seasons, Will played in 25 games, amassing 61 touchbacks with an average of 54 yards on 129 kickoffs. He averaged just over 21 yards on 60 punts with a longest of 60 yards and 16 of them pinned inside the 20 yardline. He has been nearly perfect on extra points – 59 of 60, and has gone 18 for 20 on fieldgoal tries with a longest of 51 yards and 113 total points scored. All of that effort has been somewhat inspired by Will’s dynamic with his elder sibling.

“John has been a key influence in my life”, said Will of his brother, whose footsteps he is following with a commitment to play for Virginia Tech. “Watching him got me interested in kicking. When it comes to my college decision, hearing about and seeing his experience at VT was a small part of it feeling like home for me as well.” 

Will’s journey to being a kicker himself started with an interest in his favorite sport outside of football – soccer, which he shares with his older brother who played both for the Vikings.

“I started playing sports when I was really young. My favorite sport outside of football is European soccer. I am a big Liverpool FC fan and play soccer myself as a Goalkeeper for SHS. But, I am not sure that really contributed to me becoming a kicker”, said Love. 

Will’s relationship with his brother reflects a closeness that his entire family shares and that shows in their support of one another in everything. 

“My family is really close”, Will stated. “My grandparents and extended family all live pretty close by and I am fortunate that they come to support me. My parents have been especially influential in my life. Not only have they always been a support system, but they also drove me to every camp, college visit, practice, etc. I would not be where I am nor would I have been able to do any of this without them. They also constantly encourage me to work hard and keep at it – which I believe is my strongest character trait.” 

For sure Will has a great work ethic, but what really stands out is that he doesn’t just put forth that effort when it is game time. He works hard in every aspect of football and academia, which is one thing he would remind any aspiring young athlete that might be reading this. 

“One thing that motivates me, both as a person and as an athlete, is that I hate losing. But, you have to remember – working hard on the field during the season is not enough to make you a winner. You have to put in the same effort in the classroom, the weight room, and in the offseason as well”, Love stated with emphatic confidence and wisdom. 

Back to the point of Will’s family supportiveness and closeness – that spills over into his relationships with his friends and teammates off the field. In fact, his most fond memories of his time at SHS so far have nothing to do with football, instead being about bonding with friends and supporting friends in the biggest moment of their young lives to date. 

“My most fond sports memory is actually about some time spent with my long snapper and Place Holder Carter. We always went out to eat after every game, but something stuck out to me from this one. It was after we beat Byrnes in the playoffs last year. I also was named a Junior Marshall for graduation last Spring, which was pretty cool because it gave me a chance to be a part of my older friends’ graduation.” 

Like any senior athlete, Will is taking in every bit of the experience of his final year playing at Spartanburg High School – a place he is fond of for a couple of reasons. 

“I love playing football at SHS. The coaches – especially Coach (Mark) Hodge – care about us as people, not just football players”, said Love. “I really love getting to feel the atmosphere at Viking Stadium on a Friday night before we kick off a game. That pre-game feeling of excitement and anticipation in the atmosphere is one thing I love most about being an athlete in general,” he later added. 

You can join Will in taking in the pregame atmosphere as well as see him in action on the gridiron Friday night as the Vikings host Lynn Fleming and their neighbors from down the road – the Broome Centurions – with kickoff set for 7:30.