To kick or not to kick. For many high school football coaches, that can be a tough decision to make following a touchdown, if they’re not blessed with a reliable placekicker.
It’s an especially tough question for coaches if they’re close enough to try for a field goal. It’s a weapon not used often by Michigan high school coaches, but this season, there are some coaches who have it in their arsenal.
Ithaca is among the several teams that believe in going for field goals. “Ithaca has used a kicker for several seasons,” said coach Terry Hessbrook. “The kicker is usually a member of our soccer team. In 2010 we had two kickers; both were members of our soccer team. Nick Pendell is now kicking at Albion College. He broke the state record for PATs in a single season.
“We also had Zach Whipple. He made a 40-yard field goal in the second half of the state championship game. We practice field goals and extra points every single day that we are on the practice field. We have kicked one field goal this season, a 26-yarder.”
The Yellowjackets currently have three kickers in their program, senior Sage Demull, junior Alex Vanderploeg, and sophomore Jacob Pierce.
“So we are sitting very good,” Hessbrook said. “In 2011, we had Luke Rayburn, and I think he is in state record books for PATs as well.”
Kevin Townsend is the varsity football coach at Freeland, and he said that as of halfway through the 2012 season, his team is 2 of 4 in field goal attempts.
“We practice twice a week sometimes, sometimes not at all, if our soccer kids don’t make it to practice,” Townsend said. “The four that we have tried is the most I have ever tried since I have been a coach – seven years. Our soccer kid has a strong leg and is very consistent. We have had four soccer kickers in seven years.”
Townsend agreed that teams don’t usually try field goals because there’s not a quality kicker on the team, but he considers it “very important” to have a reliable field goal kicker.
“If we could get boys’ and girls’ soccer seasons to switch, we would have more kids playing football and not have to be losing a lot of freshman programs. Too many boys sports are offered at the same time,” he said.
Brad Weber of Pewamo-Westphalia hasn’t tried a field goal as of midseason and said his players practice it about 10 minutes per week.
“We have occasionally tried 2 to 3 a year, but it just depends on the game situation,” he said. “Teams have more confidence in their offense rather than their kicker. Kickers do not have the distance to make a field goal outside of the red zone.” He believes it’s important to have a reliable kicker, but more so for PATs.
Marty James of Central Montcalm said that as of midseason, his team hasn’t tried a field goal, either, but they practice it three days a week.
“There’s a lack of expertise in coaching it properly,” he said. “We have an exchange student from Germany this season, and he has excellent field goal-kicking ability…we just have not been in a situation to use him.”
Clark Huntey of Morley Stanwood said that his team has attempted around four field goals this season. He said that’s about the same as he’s done in the past. He also said that having a reliable kicker, “for us this year is very important.”
Tom Harkema of Owosso said his team is 0 for 3 in field goal tries and usually works on it two days for 20 minutes and one day for 10 minutes. They haven’t been trying the 3-pointer for the simple reason that their kicker hasn’t had a good season. Last year, they were 2 of 3.
“It depends on the kicker. When I have a good one, I try because if he misses it comes out to the 20, unlike college and pros where the other team gets it where he kicked from,” he said.
Clare coach Kelly Luplow and his team are 0 for 3 in field goal tries. He remembers seeing a 43-yarder in the rain back in 2009.
“It’s incredibly important,” he said. “We have won and lost games because of it,” although he acknowledges that coaches don’t use it much. “I would think for the most part it would be the confidence you have in your kicker, plus, field position, score of game at the time, time on clock, down and distance, and how well the defense is playing. It could be numerous reasons.”
Karl Schmugge is the head coach at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, and he said his team hasn’t tried a field goal this season. He has his kickers work out before each practice and has them practice with the team once a week.
“Our kicker does not have the leg to kick long or accurate,” he said. “We don’t have players that have learned kicking at an earlier level, and it takes a lot of skill, talent, and dedication to be a consistent kicker. We have a better chance at making a first down than kicking a field goal.”
But Schmugge admitted he would love having a reliable field goal kicker. “It would be nice, especially come playoff time when it could make more of a difference in a close game,” he said.