John Raffel
Sports Scene
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Jon Fickle played no small role in the 3-0 start of the Central Montcalm Hornets, who have been a power in the Central State Activities Association the past several seasons.
The 5’7½”, 195-pound senior fullback and outside linebacker is also the placekicker and punter for the Hornets.
In his first year in the starting lineup for the Hornets,his impact has been major. Offensively after three games, he’s had 38 rushes for 254 yards, with a longest run of 40 yards. He’s also caught seven passes for 70 yards. Defensively, he’s had eight tackles and four assists.
On his kickoffs, Fickle is averaging nearly 50 yards per kick. He was 1 of 1 in field goal tries with a boot of 29 yards.
Fickle also kicked field goals last season. He is hopeful of more field goal attempts during the season and is confident he can convert kicks from as far away as 45 yards. He started playing football in the second grade and has been kicking for six years.
“It came natural,” Fickle said. “I always played soccer, too.”
He hasn’t played soccer for about the last six seasons, Fickle noted.
As a running back, Fickle takes pride in his speed.
“I’m told I’m quick,” he said. “I can juke people out.”
On the defensive side, “lately my role has been to stay home and wait for any counter,” he said. “With the pass, I drop back in pass coverage.”
The Hornets seem poised to have another banner season.
“I feel we can go undefeated this year,” Fickle said. “We can go far. Our defense has been [stopping] everyone. That’s been our main strong point. Our whole [team togetherness] is good.”