Beal City’s football team has a unique kicking game this season.
In going 9-0, the Aggies demonstrated that they have plenty of weapons for scoring points. But they have more than fans outside Beal City might realize.
Two foreign exchange students, Paul Anders of Hamburg, Germany, and Borja Silleras of Madrid, Spain, have been sharing the placekicking duties for the Aggies.
Anders had a big night in PATs against Marion in a 63-0 victory on October 20. He also booted a 43-yard field goal early in the season against Manton.
“I met them after our first game,” coach Lou Rau said. “They introduced themselves as exchange students enrolled at Beal City High School and wondered if they could join the team. They immediately fit right in with the other team members, though they really didn’t know anything about the sport other than what they’d seen on TV. They’ve progressed very well in their understanding of the sport and currently take turns kicking during games.
“Playing other positions has been much slower developing because of their lack of experience and understanding, though I believe they are very happy kicking and being ‘one of the guys.’ I don’t have any stats at this time, but Paul has successfully kicked field goals from 43 and 45 yards during a game and consistently kicks off out of the end zone.”
In a way, it was love at first sight. “The first game of Beal City is the first football game I’ve ever seen in my life,” Anders said. “It looked very interesting, so Borja and I talked to the coach to see if we could be part of the team.”
Both players have favorable impressions of football.
“Football is a pretty cool sport and is fun to play,” Anders said. “It’s a very physical sport and is new for me, but I like it. It is very different in comparison to European sports, like soccer.”
“Football is a sport like I’ve never experienced and is very cool because you have to be very powerful, run fast, tackle hard, and be physical,” Silleras said.
Both are very athletic minded. Anders, in his home country, plays soccer and hockey, does judo, and surfs.
Silleras likes hockey, soccer, tennis, golf, rugby, and surfing.
“I love practicing sports,” he said. “In my school we play roller hockey.”
Both kickers say it wasn’t hard to learn the basic rules of football, but they feel the rules for penalties are rather complicated.
Beal City will be trying for a perfect postseason to match its 9-0 regular season. Anders and Silleras would love to play at Ford Field for the state finals, but regardless of what happens, they’ve both had an enjoyable season in Beal City.
“I really like the team and like being the kicker in Beal City,” Anders said.
“I like being around the team, practicing hard, and meeting new people,” Silleras said.