Nowadays, fans are well-versed in such coaching terminology such as “3-technique” and “back-shoulder throw”. But another term that has been making the rounds for some time is “hidden yardage”, a reference to the ways teams gain field advantage beyond traditional offense. Former Georgia Bulldogs kicker and current prep kicking guru Rex Robinson says hidden yardage was a key element in the Bulldogs’ drive to the 1980 national championship.
“When we had Scott Woerner returning punts, you were basically looking at a first down every time because he’d get you 10-15 yards,” Robinson says. “And our punt coverage back then was phenomenal – we only gave up maybe an average of two yards per punt return against us. So that combination was an extra first down our offense didn’t have to make.”
With parity consistently rising in the high school football ranks, special teams play remains a point of emphasis. Here is a look at some of the top contributors representing ITG’s Southeast region.
Noah Shepard
Kicker
Ware County High School
A first-year starter, Shepard converted 20-of-22 extra point attempts through the first six games of 2015. The 5’11”, 160-pound junior was also 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, including a long of 34 yards as the Gators crafted a 5-1 record. But Shepard’s real value to WCHS usually comes after splitting the uprights.
“Noah gives the kickoff unit ample time to cover kicks because of hang time, allowing the unit to make tackles inside the opponent’s 25-yard line,” says Ware head coach Franklin Stephens. “This leaves offenses staring at 75 yards for touchdowns. One of Noah’s strengths is his calm demeanor, which allows him to deflect the stress of the moment when making kicks. He also has very good leg strength and accuracy, which will become more evident as his body matures.”
Shepard has designs on following his grandfather – retired physician Jack Shepard – into the medical field.
“My grandfather worked in Alma for years, where he delivered babies,” Shepard says.
Though he has received no offers yet to kick at the next level, the younger Shepard welcomes the opportunity to study collegiately at either Georgia or FSU. He particularly admires the style of Seminoles kicker Roberto Aguayo.
“(Aguayo) is just always really consistent and seems to do well under pressure, coming through when he is needed most,” he says.
The same goes for Shepard. He was 3-for-3 on field goals in Ware’s win over Coffee this season and overcame an ill-fated attempt to ice him on the 34-yard conversion.
“It just gave me more time to stretch,” he says. “I like kicking field goals most, because I do well under pressure in those situations where they are depending on me for those three points.”
Eli Polite
Punter
Liberty County High School
Polite (5’8”, 165 pounds) possesses optimum size specifications to play slot receiver, his regular position. The junior was his team’s second-leading receiver through the first eight games this season with five touchdown catches, including a 45-yard score. But his 41-yard punting average makes Polite a valuable commodity to LCHS head coach Kirk Warner.
“Eli is a short guy but has a strong leg,” Warner says. “He is athletic enough to give us a soccer- style kick and strong enough to give us the hang time necessary to get downfield. When you’ve got two really good defenses – and you can shift the starting field position of the opponent – that’s big when they have to go 80 yards instead of 40. The punter comes into play frequently, and Eli definitely shifts the field for us.”
Although he has played football since age 8, this is Polite’s first year punting.
“Someone needed to step up and do the job, so I took it,” he says.
Polite had no punts blocked or returned for touchdowns by Week Nine. Warner recalls a highlight in the Panthers’ win over Burke County.
“Their defense stopped us with under three minutes, and we were pinned back at our own 15,” he says. “Eli hit a punt for 55 yards. If that goes to midfield, we’re in trouble. They got it at about their 35. They drove the ball and stalled on fourth down at the 12. So that was definitely a big punt for us.”
Polite credits the work of others for his success, like snapper Tucker Lighter.
“For the first time, I like knowing that I have a foot and that I can kick,” Polite says. “I just appreciate Coach Warner and his staff. He knows how to treat his athletes, take care of them, and put them in the best position possible.”
August Bowers
Kicker
Glynn Academy
Bowers is among a trio of kickers this year contributing at traditionally kicking-rich Glynn Academy. A 12-year soccer veteran and captain of the 2016 Red Terrors, Bowers (6’1”, 185 pounds), is enjoying a splendid rookie campaign on the gridiron as a senior. He is the Red Terrors’ designated kickoff specialist.
“August is a kid that hasn’t really kicked the ball much, but he is tough as nails and is determined to put in a lot of time and effort,” says GA head coach Rocky Hidalgo.” I think he will wind up going off to college and being a pretty good field goal kicker.”
Though he hasn’t tried a field goal in game action yet, Bowers does have a 62-yarder to his credit in practice. For now, his forte is kicking the ball into the endzone, not through the uprights. In a recent win over Richmond Hill, he put 6-of-7 kickoffs into the endzone for touchbacks.
“They started at the 20 every time,” Hidalgo says. “We started on a short field every time, scored 42 points in the first half, and had 200 yards of offense in the first half, but we scored seven touchdowns. Having them start at the 20 because our kicker puts it in the endzone obviously adds up. And you kick off 3-4 times with an offense that produces 300 yards per game, that’s about a fifth of your offensive total.”
“I’m not really a finesse kicker, I just really like being able to kick it far,” says Bowers, who lists this year’s win over Brunswick as his favorite highlight. “Brunswick had a pretty good return game, and being able to put the ball in the endzone and taking that element away was important. We prepared for that, and being able to do that in a game was pretty special.”
Matthew O’Neal
Long Snapper
Wayne County High School
Success in the punting game starts up front for the Jackets with O’Neal (5’9”, 160 pounds), a junior who benches 200, squats 275, and power cleans 215 pounds. A receiver with 4.75 speed, he had eight catches through as many games this season. It’s that quickness that makes O’Neal such a valuable commodity on special teams.
“Matt hasn’t had any bad snaps over the past two years,” says Wayne County head coach Jody Grooms. “He has also recovered six fumbles and has made a lot of tackles. We try to put a kid there that is quick. We are unconventional; we only do a 10-yard drop. I got tired of trying to find kids that could fire it back there 15 yards, so we do a semi-rugby kick. I think we are netting 43 yards this year.”
O’Neal, who has been playing football since seventh grade, started on varsity as a freshman at an American high school in Seoul, South Korea.
“The competition probably wasn’t as big there as it is here,” O’Neal says. “I actually didn’t know about the long-snapping position until I was in high school. I went to a receivers camp at the University of Florida and saw a lineman doing it in warm-ups, so I tried it out. Now I like trying to get to the return guy first and cause a fumble.”
His coach echoes the thought.
“Punting is not a bad thing,” Grooms says. “If we can punt it 40 yards and not get a return, we feel like we can flip the field. If you don’t have a good athlete like Matt getting downfield, you’re going to lose 15 yards, because that return man is taught to make the first man miss. We have told Matt, ‘You can’t miss’ and nine out of 10 times, he makes that play. We want to be able to steal a yard any way we can get it.”
Zeke Moore
Return Specialist
Camden County High School
Through the first seven games of 2015, Moore (5’10”, 175 pounds) averaged 33.2 yards per kickoff return (five returns for 166 yards), including a 95-yarder for a touchdown against Glynn Academy on his first-ever return. The senior also averaged 5.9 yards per punt return (nine returns for 53 yards) with a long of 20 yards. Moore’s 4.49 speed has already drawn the interest of Cincinnati, Missouri, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville University.
Moore proved his mettle in a win over Valdosta earlier this year with Camden trailing in a heavy rain.
“The kick came off the foot of the punter awkwardly and Zeke sprinted to his left to catch the ball,” says Camden head coach Welton Coffey. “Not only did Zeke catch the ball in those poor weather conditions, he was able to get a few yards on the return. If he doesn’t make that play in that game, we stay pinned down deep on our end of the field with a physical Valdosta in front of us. That moment very well could have changed the course of the game.”
“As soon as I got to the ninth grade, I wanted to be a kick returner and punt returner so I could start for Camden County,” says the part-time defensive back. “I had the 95-yard kick return against Glynn Academy, and it was a bad ball. I picked it up, saw the holes and took advantage of it. My linebacker, Terry Compton, was lead blocking for me, and Brandon McMasters set the block on the edge.”
Coffey says, “As a punt returner, a key hidden yardage item is catching all punts. This is huge in the chess match of field position during the course of the game. Zeke possesses a set of unique skills that allows him to be a quality returner: quickness, acceleration, speed, and vision. These skills cannot be coached into an athlete; they are natural skills that a player brings to the table.”
Player Spotlight/Southeast/November 2015
Story by John DuPont
Photography by Jennifer Carter Johnson
Special Teams: Football’s Hidden Yardage
