[NEWARKCATHOLICFAN]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]First I’m not trying to mean when I ask this but the kicking games of the teams I watch in Kentucky(I’m talking about the schools from Greenup County all the way down rt23(I call them the rt23 schools)I do not think I have watched a game where I thought the kicking game was not a liability.

One thing I have noticed that is a lot different in the smaller schools in Ohio and Kentucky is here there always seems be a lineman doing to the kicking and doing a decent job in it and in Kentucky more times than not the team goes for two or brings in a kicker who misses a point after. [/COLOR]

[Midee1]

I know at Russell we have been fortuante for the last several years to have decent kickers. Dan Meko has several KHSAA records and Jason Dolly set a record last year. I don't know if it was a state or school record but it was for consecutive PATS.

One that sticks in my mind is Belfry. Last couple of times I saw them play they had a couple of straight on kickers in Hoss and Ivan Lee. Actullay I recall Lee being pretty accurate if memory serves me.

[NEWARKCATHOLICFAN]

I had forgooten about the huge kicker Belfry had a couple of years ago.I have a game on tape somewhere with him kicking.

I know a few coaches who wanted him on Saturdays.

LEE is a stud.I do have a belfry game where he was kicking.
I also have 15 tapes with one or two games on them that I have not watched yet and there might be a Belfry game or two in them. They are all from the 2008 season.

[mightydog]

I can see how it would be hard to have a kicker, especialy from small schools, that would have consistancy in pat's & fg's. But you would think you could find a kid that could have decent kickoff's. When I played I was out before a game on time kicking off for fun in pre games and I could get the ball down the field and I was a lineman with no kicking expereance.

[NEWARKCATHOLICFAN]

With so many kicking camps out there it just seems a little hard to believe that there are not better kickers in the game today.

[gotcha2]

I think numbers are the problem with the smaller schools. When you have only 25 players and alot of those are playing both sides of the ball- special teams seem to get overlooked. Kick-off and return, punting, field goals, extra points- are unfortunatley many times the last thing they make time for.

[Hilbily]

Kicking the ball is really a talent that not many posess. It can be taought effectively but only a few have that special talent. I was the punter on my team and was totally inconsistent. Some times i would get a boomer but most times something would go wrong on my behalf or from the snap. Kicking is very tough..

[NEWARKCATHOLICFAN]

Kicking the ball is really a talent that not many posess. It can be taought effectively but only a few have that special talent. I was the punter on my team and was totally inconsistent. Some times i would get a boomer but most times something would go wrong on my behalf or from the snap. Kicking is very tough..

Was you able to attend any kicking camps?

[Hilbily]

No.. They had sent me and a few other teammates to Knoxville for the Tn football camp. I was due for some kicking drills and tips. However a freak 2-3ft snowstorm hit and snowed the whole thing out. That would have been late March of 94'.

[blitzingback]

Hazard's kicker has been attending a camp in Ga, I think. He is one with a good strong leg. He was around 50% maybe more on touchbacks this year, especially early in the season before it got cold. He also is an excellent punter. He pinned offenses deep all season. There's a good possibility of him playing on Saturday somewhere.

[Keepnitreal]

JC"s freshman kicker made honor. mention on an all area team this year (I think maybe WYMT???). He should be a great one if he sticks with it and gets to some summer camps.

[NEWARKCATHOLICFAN]

Hazard's kicker has been attending a camp in Ga, I think. He is one with a good strong leg. He was around 50% maybe more on touchbacks this year, especially early in the season before it got cold. He also is an excellent punter. He pinned offenses deep all season. There's a good possibility of him playing on Saturday somewhere.

Do you have any stats on him? Maybe, average punting yards, field goal range and his class size and Height?

[Brooks4Prez]

I think its got a lot to do with the fact that there's not a lot of emphasis put on the kicking game. It does require a lot of natural talent but a lot of kids who have some of that talent don't get the chance to develop it. It's a shame too because kicking is a lot like long snapping; they're specialties that if developed correctly can lead to players getting some really great oppurtunities at the next level.

[gobigblue65]

Are they any kickers in the mountains gone D1 before.

[blitzingback]

Do you have any stats on him? Maybe, average punting yards, field goal range and his class size and Height?

He's a junior. A guess on the punt average would be 40 with excellent hang time. I've seen him in warm-ups booming punts up to 60 yards. He hit the cross bar on a 49 yard field goal in a game earlier in the year. In practice he has his 55 yarders. He is around 5'10, 170. His name is Austin Delpont. Good kid too.

[NEWARKCATHOLICFAN]

He's a junior. A guess on the punt average would be 40 with excellent hang time. I've seen him in warm-ups booming punts up to 60 yards. He hit the cross bar on a 49 yard field goal in a game earlier in the year. In practice he has his 55 yarders. He is around 5'10, 170. His name is Austin Delpont. Good kid too.

I will keep an eye out on him.

[BellCoBobcat]

Are they any kickers in the mountains gone D1 before.

Monte Merrick of Bell County will sign a FBS (formerly D-1) letter of intent with Western Kentucky University next week. Merrick was named to every All-State First Team. He was top vote getter in Louisville CJ Coaches Poll team....first time in 86 yrs. according to CJ that a kicker was selected as top pick. He solidified his commitment last week to WKU when he cancelled an official visit to Arkansas, who appeared close to offering him. Due to coaching change....John L. Smith (Lousiville, Michigan State) as Patrino's new special teams coach....the coach who had decided to offer Merrick was reassigned. When it looked as if they were going to wait until after signing date to offer....Merrick declined and cancelled the visit. He called Coach Elson according to an article on another site and reaffirmed his commitment to WKU. Kentucky had wanted him to walkon. Sadly, another state this week...the third in two weeks....wanted their star kicker to walkon and he signed with a mid-major whom continue to offer schollys to kickers...while the larger schools mostly want instate kids to walk on! Bell County will have a bunch of new WKU fans this fall. Merrick will make his debut against Tennessee in Knoxville in the fall! WKU will become a solid football power in their conference in near future. They will possibly have a higher recruting class rank than Lousiville before it is over this year according to one article I read!

[Diogenes]

Are they any kickers in the mountains gone D1 before.

Plenty of them had talent. Wynn could've done D-1. Pettrey from Raceland is D-1 at Ohio State. Delpont at Hazard could potentially be a D-1 kicker (especially considering Housley at UK was listed at the 2nd or 3rd string kicker this season). Merrick is one Rich Brooks should feel like a total idiot for not giving a scholarship to and letting get away to WKU, where I hope he does well. I will never understand this college coach idea that you don't give scholarships to kickers. The kicker is one of the most important pieces to your team puzzle, especially when your offense is awful. You need a consistent three points when you're within 50 yards of the goalposts. Sigh.

[Meaty]

Somerset usually always has a very good kicker.

[Bengal4Life]

Hazard's kicker has been attending a camp in Ga, I think. He is one with a good strong leg. He was around 50% maybe more on touchbacks this year, especially early in the season before it got cold. He also is an excellent punter. He pinned offenses deep all season. There's a good possibility of him playing on Saturday somewhere.

I had a chance to watch this kid in person. And he was a great Kicker and Punter. Definatly has a chance to go play on Saturdays for a good Collage.

[blitzingback]

Are they any kickers in the mountains gone D1 before.

Hazard has a kicker at UK, well he graduates this year, J.J. Housley. As bad as UK's kicking game has been with Seber, you think he'd have gotten a shot.

[blitzingback]

I had a chance to watch this kid in person. And he was a great Kicker and Punter. Definatly has a chance to go play on Saturdays for a good Collage.

He was a big part of the reason Hazard was successful this year. He kept offenses pinned deep all year with great punts and touchbacks.

[blitzingback]

Austin Delpont went to an Elite kicking camp in Orlando Fl. over the holidays in Dec. He did very well. He finished in the top 10% in the country. He averaged 42 yards on his punt with a 4.1 hang time and consistantly hit FG from 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40. His kickoffs average 6 yards deep in the endzone. Congrats to Austin.

[sstack]

With so many kicking camps out there it just seems a little hard to believe that there are not better kickers in the game today.

As a Highlands fan, I have to say that their kicking game is a big factor in many games. I continue to be amazed at how bad some teams special teams are. HHS had some trouble with their puntting last year, but were solid in the rest of the kicking game. Someone posted about JC's kicking game being good last year,but I was not impressed with what I saw. Their PAT's were very shaky and kickoffs were poor, but still better than the majority of teams I saw outside of NKY. I think some coaches choose not to spend time on it.