The kicking game is such a small part of football that special-teams units are scarcely on the field. Yet those units sometimes have the biggest impacts on the outcomes of high school games.
Those big impacts can be positive or negative, depending on one’s perspective.
“Three years ago we had a punt blocked and a kickoff returned back, so we scrapped our entire special teams,” Hixson coach Houston White said. “We came in the next Monday and I said to the coaches, ‘The top 15 athletes we’ve got is who I want on special teams. I don’t care if they never come off the field.'”
White went on to say the special-teams situation has differed from year to year. Ideally he likes to work in some younger players in coverage and return situations, but with a game on the line he’s not going to take risks.
Starting quarterback Justin Mathieson also is the Wildcats’ punter and kicker. Mathieson does get good instruction because the staff includes former Hixson wide receiver and kicker Andy Dalton, who now coaches those positions.
On Mondays, with no junior varsity around, Mathieson gets in some individual work on kicking. Tuesday practices start with attention to special teams, and on Wednesdays, White has a “specialty period” that involves all the contributors who play on any kicking team.
“We’ve been lucky,” said White, whose 3-3 team already has won more games than last season. “We’ve not had a punt blocked or a punt or kickoff returned back for a touchdown.”
Although special teams are on the field for such a small percentage of time in games, it could be considered the most diverse phase of football and requires a great deal of attention in several areas. The executions of snaps and holds and onside kicks must be sharpened in practice.
Boyd-Buchanan (6-0) began Wednesday’s practice this week going over extra-point and field-goal blocks. That type of preparation, beginning with the weekly Sunday coaches game-plan meeting for the upcoming opponent, helped the Buccaneers preserve a 7-6 overtime victory over East Ridge earlier in the season.
Coach Grant Reynolds said they have a middle block or can overload one side and charge from that direction. Stephen Ingram took the middle route against the Pioneers and basically “ran right into it,” Reynolds said.
“We were in a state-championship game a few years ago, and if we had made an extra point or a field goal at any point in time during the second half, we would’ve won,” Reynolds said. “Special teams is one-third of the game. We figure if we win two-thirds of the game, we’ve got a good chance to win the game.”
Some programs year in and year out long to have an able-bodied kicker. Tyner coach Wayne Turner has long said he would love to have one who could put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs, just to see if the opposition can drive 80 yards against the Rams’ defense.
Brainerd (3-3) is another of those wishful programs, but coach Stanley Jackson is glad to have who he has now. Senior Demetrius Kitchens, who also plays wide receiver, has scored with at least one kick in every game: The Panthers’ score every game has ended in an odd number.
“This is my second year doing it,” said Kitchens, who noted he tried kicking briefly while at Orchard Knob Middle School. “I’ve improved a lot. You’ve got to work hard at it to get better. At times at practice Coach will tell me to go kick and that’s what I do. I can’t really practice it at home. My yard’s small.”
Jackson said the luxuries that come with having a kicker capable of making extra points is not having to spend a lot of time trying to come up with gimmick plays for two-point conversions.
“Now I just have to hold up my finger and say, ‘One,'” Jackson said.
Jackson also has experimented with Kitchens trying a couple of different kinds of kickoffs.
“We have a pop-up kickoff, a squib kick, or we’ll have him kick it deep,” Jackson said. “Sometimes when he tries to kick it deep, he ends up putting it on the ground anyway.”
Regardless, the Panthers have a better complement to their offense and defense than in most years. And Jackson isn’t taking that for granted.
“The kicking game plays a major role, especially when you’re talking about field position,” Jackson said. “As soon as we get finished stretching, the first thing we do every day is put an emphasis on special teams, because it is important.”