AAK Scores and Stats - Week of September 4 - 5, 2014

Apopka 56, Lake Brantley 7 AAK's Tyler L'Heureux made 7 extra points for Apopka Bishop Moore 40, Harmony 0 Jake McIntyre of Bishop Morre was 5/5 in PAT and had 3 touchbacks in their win over Harmony Dr. Phillips 43, Olympia 10 Dr. Phillips' Ethan Shafer makes a 36 yard field goal in the first as well as 4 extra points Olympia's Phillip Shure makes a 38 yard field goal in the second quarter and gets the extra point in the fourth Edgewater 19, Wekiva 21 Wekiva's snapper Brandon Fields remains undefeated to start the season at 2-0 Evans 0, Lyman 14 Freedom 6, West Orange 43 Gateway 0, Oak Ridge 36 Orangewood Christian 14, Master's Academy 0 Oviedo 23, Winter Springs 0 Connor O'Toole's 35 yard field goal for Oviedo makes Channel 9's Friday night highlights! Watch here. O'Toole also made two extra points. St. Cloud 13, Astronaut 0 In the fourth, St. Cloud's punter Andrew Boganeko held Astronaut back at it's own 2 yard line with a 54 yard kick. Terra Haute North 21, Northview 7 (Indiana) THN's Zach Potter wins Saturday morning due to a lightning delay Friday night. Armwood 37, Blake 0 (Tampa) Armwood's Sterling Hofrichter makes a 35 yard field goal and adds four extra points for the Hawks A.Crawford Mosley High School 0, Escambia 45 Shout out to Lake Mary High School freshman football team's Dalton DeChristopher 4/4 pat...not allowing deep kick offs....just pop up kicks...and no punting so far. Next Week's Schedule: Bishop Moore at Edgewater, 7:30 Dr. Phillips at Seminole, 7:30 Lake Howell at Oviedo, 7:30 Evans at Lake Brantley, 7:30 Lyman at Lakeland, 7:30 St. Cloud at Cypress Creek, 7:30 Lake Mary Prep at Bradenton St. Stephen's, 7 Apopka at Wekiva, 7:30 Oak Ridge at West Orange, 7:30 Olympia at Freedom, 7:30 Orlando University at Boone, 7:30 Timber Creek at East River, 7:30 Armwood vs. Hillsborough (Tampa) Terre Haute North vs. Southport (Indiana) Geneva 19, Frostburg 24 Augustana 54, Minnesota Crookston 0 Augustana's Lucas Wainman makes a 52 yard field goal in the first and follows it upwith a 32 yard field goal in the third Tusculum 71, College of Faith 0 Ian O'Grady's Tusculum Pioneers have a record breaking win over College of Faith Lenoir Rhyne 41, Point 10 Eastern Illinois 21, Southern Illinois 38 Greensboro 0. Guilford 52 University of Southern Alabama 23, Kent State 13 Florida 65, Eastern Michigan 0 Florida's Frankie Velez makes a 33 yard field goal early in the first, a 36 yard and 29 yard field goals in the second. He also added 8 extra points for the Gators. FAU 0, Alabama 41 Temple 24, Navy 31 Austin Jones makes a 28 yard field goal in the third and adds three extra points for the Owls. Air Force 13, Wyoming 17 University of St. Francis 41, Olivet Nazarene 10 U of St. Francis's Ryan Giachetti with3 punts, 45 yard average and 1 in the 20 North Carolina Wesleyan 19,  Stevenson 40 North Carolina Wesleyan's freshman Codan Breckenridge makes his college football debut! Breckenridge added an extra point in the first for his first college point. Next Week's Schedule: University of Florida vs. Kentucky FAU vs. Tulsa UCF vs. Missouri Geneva vs. Grove City Atlanta Sports Academy vs. Mid. Georgia State Webber vs. Campbellsville Tusculum vs. Elizabeth City State Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Augustana vs. Hope Lenoir Rhyne vs. Virginia State Greensboro vs. Bridgewater University of St. Francis vs. Lindenwood University - Belleville University of Southern Alabama vs. Georgia Southern Colgate vs. Delaware Don't see your game or stats? Send us an email and let us know what you've been up to this season! Email amy@allamericankicking.com.

AAK Ready for Week 2 of Football!

Here's a look at some of All American Kicking's students who will be hitting the field this week in both high school and college games. Follow our blog and social media for updates on their performance this week and all season long!

Students, be sure to send us an email and let us know about your game.

Week of September 5 and 6, 2014

Apopka's Tyler L'Heureux vs. Lake Brantley, 7

Bishop Moore's's Jake McIntyre vs. Harmony, 7:30

Dr. Phillips' Ethan Shafer and Angelo Alexander vs. Olympia's Justin Ford, Phillip Shure and Jonathan Messina, 7:30

Edgewater at Wekiva's Brandon Fields, 7:30

Evans' Alberto Escobedo at Lyman, 7:30

Freedom's Michael Castaneda at West Orange's Andrew Brickweg, 7:30

Gateway at Oak Ridge's Dylan Hartwell, 7

Orangewood Christian's Armel Lee at Master's Academy, 7

Oviedo's Connor O'Toole and Zac Bastien at Winter Springs 7:30

St. Cloud's Andrew Bogaenko vs. Astronaut, 7:30

Terra Haute North's Zach Potter vs. Northview (Indiana)

Armwood's Sterling Hofrichter at Blake (Tampa)

Geneva's Ed Schuster vs. Frostburg
Atlanta Sports Academy's Sam Wallace vs. Fort Benning
Augustana's Lucas Wainman vs. Mount St. Joseph
Tusculum's Ian O'Grady vs. College of Faith
Lenoir Rhyne's Hunter Haire vs. Point
Eastern Illinois's Cory Edwards vs. Southern Illinois
Greensboro's Mark Bush vs.Guilford
University of Southern Alabama's Aleem Sunanon vs. Kent State
Florida's Frankie Velez and Johnny Townsend vs. Eastern Michigan
FAU's Landon Scheer vs. Alabama
Temple's Austin Jones vs. Navy
Air Force's Garrett Powers at Wyoming
North Carolina Wesleyan College's Codan Breckenridge vs. Stevenson

The Basics: Choosing a Kicking Tee

By Coach Nick Fleming

At the very beginning of kicking, even before you actually swing your leg, there are a few things you need to think about before lacing up your cleats to give kicking a try for the first time.  When you choosing your equipment, a few things are obvious; you need a ball, you need some cleats, but what about those kicking tees that are different sizes? Here are some important things to consider when choosing the correct tee for you.

When thinking about kicking tees, it’s important to remember one really solid piece of advice, and that is “higher tees and blocks do not automatically mean more distance.” In fact, distance is more directly related to a kicker’s mechanics and natural power of their swing.  The main thing a kicker should consider when choosing a tee is “how easily can I get the ball up over the line of scrimmage so the defense cannot block the kick?”

Kicking tees and blocks are made to give the kicker an easier time to get underneath the ball and get it up in the air.  Beyond the high school level, if all kickers were forced to kick off the ground, you would see a lot of blocked kicks because getting the ball up 10 feet in the air in 7 yards or less is quite difficult to achieve with pure mechanics.  Using a tee leaves a little room for error when trying to hit the sweet spot.  The mechanics related to kicking with a tee or block are relatively simple, the higher the ball is off the ground, the more your foot should make contact with the ball when your leg is on the upswing.  When a kicker makes contact with the ball when their leg is on the upswing, it is much easier to get the ball up in the air because the leg is at a better angle when contact occurs and popping it up in the air is easier to do.  For those who are already deep into the mechanics of kicking, remember that your plant spot should move back (away from the uprights) as the tee gets higher so that it is easier to achieve contact on the upward portion of the swing.

So, how does a first time kicker know if they want to use a 1/2”, 1”, or 2” tee or block?  The best way to find an answer is through trial and error.  Each beginner has different form, so they should find the tee or block that gives them the most success right away and then work from there.  My general rule of thumb is if you haven't played soccer or are one of your team’s better athletes, start with the 2” tee as that is usually easier for the “non-soccer” athletes to be successful (esp. toe kickers).  However, if you have played soccer your whole life and the soccer swing is already refined, try the 1/2” or 1” as that might be an easier transition with the swing you already have.

One question I always seem to get is regarding when to kick field goals off the ground.  I tell all of my students that if you are dead set on kicking in college, you should be practicing off the ground during the offseason from freshman year on.  For some students, the transition from a block to the ground is a long and hard road, so get a head start on making sure you’re ready when it’s time to impress a college coach. However, I would recommend for high school kickers to use a block during the season. Even if you’re more comfortable kicking off the ground, chances are good that your high school holder is not skilled enough to place the ball perfectly every time, so give yourself the extra breathing room that comes with using a block whenever you have the option.

For kickoff tees, use the same height tee that you are comfortably with using for field goals. By using the same tee, you don’t need to become comfortable having two different swings (an inch higher or lower than the other).  Kicking is all about making your swings as consistent as possible and each inch and degree of angle matters, so don’t make it harder on yourself by needing to create a kickoff swing an inch higher than your field goal swing.

Make sure to subscribe to us on YouTube, like us on Facebook at All AmericanKicking, follow us on Twitter @allamericankick and Instagram at allamericankicking.  Also feel free to reach out to me directly with your questions on kicking at nick@AllAmericanKicking.comnick@allamericankicking.com.

All American Kicking On the Field and Social Media

Week of August 28-30, 2014 Oak Ridge 28, Apopka 23 - F Dr. Phillips 24, Timber Creek 13 - F Timber Creek's Christian Morris made a 21 yard field goal in the third quarter AAK's Ethan Shafer added three extra points for Dr. Phillips and made a 36 yard field goal mid-way thru the 4th quarter. Bishop Moore 35, First Academy 21 - F  Lake Mary 38, Winter Springs 14 - F  Snapper Jacob Rubenstein helps the Lake Mary Rams to victory over Winter Springs Osceola 48, Freedom 7 - F Oviedo 28, Lake Brantley 6 - F AAK's Zac Bastien kicked three times for Oviedo in the second half AAK's Connor O'Toole hit all 4 pats for Oviedo Wekiva 40, Jones 2 - F AAK's Brandon Fields and Long Snapper helps Wekiva to their huge victory over Jones. Bishop Moore 35, First Academy 21 - F East River 42, Cypress Creek 6 - F Edgewater 41, Evans 6 - F Deltona Trinity Christian 34, Lake Highland 17 - F St. Cloud 59, Centennial Colorado Eaglecrest 56 - F AAK's Andrew Bogaenko kicks a 51-yard field goal en route to victory for St. Cloud. Congrats for being named one of the Top 10 Plays of the Week by the Sentinel! Click here to watch his awesome field goal! West Orange 27, Boone 24 - F Warner Christian 35, Orangewood Christian 0 - F Terre Haute North 10, THS Vigo 21 - F AAK's Zach Potter Stats with THN Via Email: Punts- (8) for 43.0 avg. 5 inside 20 yd. line (3) fair catches and one return for 5 yds. FG- 2/2  (37,29 yards) PAT- 4/4 Kickoff- 7 with 3 touchbacks Armwood 37, Durant 14 - F Via Facebook from Armwood Kicker Sterling Hofrichter: "Won 37-14. Punted three times with two inside the 20 and a 61 yard punt and went 5/5 on extra points" Next Week's Games: Apopka vs. Lake Brantley, 7 Bishop Moore vs. Harmony, 7:30 Dr. Phillips at Olympia, 7:30 Edgewater at Wekiva, 7:30 Evans at Lyman, 7:30 Freedom at West Orange, 7:30 Gateway at Oak Ridge, 7 Lake Mary vs. Osceola, 7:30 Orangewood Christian at Master's Academy, 7 Oviedo at Winter Springs, 7:30 Clermont East Ridge at Tavares, 7 St. Cloud vs. Astronaut, 7:30 Terra Haute North vs. Northview (Indiana) Armwood vs. Blake (Tampa) Air Force 44, Nicholls 16 Colgate 10, Ball State 30 Colorado State 31, Colorado 17 Eastern Illinois 20, Minnesota 42 AAK's Cody Edwards made his college football debut for Eastern Illinois. FAU 7, Nebraska 55 Penn St. 26, UCF 24 UCF kicker Shawn Moffitt makes a 36 yard field goal in the 2nd quarter in UCF's season opener in Ireland. Temple 37, Vanderbilt 7 Temple's freshman kicker Austin Jones makes 19 yard and 28 yard field goals in the 3rd quarter in his college football debut and upset over Vanderbilt. Next Week's Games: Geneva vs. Frostburg Atlanta Sports Academy vs. Fort Benning University of Wisconsin Platteville vs. Buena Vista Augustana vs. Mount St. Joseph Lenoir Rhyne vs. Point Greensboro vs.Guilford University of Southern Alabama vs. Kent State Florida vs. Eastern Michigan FAU vs. Alabama Temple vs. Navy Air Force at Wyoming Don't see your game? Send us an email to make sure we include your game info each and every week! Email amy@allamericankicking.com.

All American Kicking Students Kick Off Season Tonight

Lots of great high school games tonight! Good luck to all the #AAK guys playing tonight:

• Apopka's Tyler L'Heureux against Oak Ridge High School
• Armwood High School's Sterling Hofrichter taking on Durant
• Bishop Moore's Jake McIntyre facing The First Academy
• Boone's Tommy Townsend against West Orange
• Dr. Phillips Angelo Alexander and Ethan Shafer vs. Christian Morris at Timber Creek
• Evans High School's Alberto Escoobedo against Edgewater
• Lake Highland's MJ Butler facing Trinity Christian
• Lake Mary's Dalton Dechristopher against Winter Springs
• Terre Haute North's Zach Potter vs. THS (Indiana)
• Wekiva's Brandon Field's against Jones High School

Be sure to tag #AAK in your posts and photos about tonight's games and email us to be included in our Tuesday newsletter: amy@allamericankicking.com.

Football Season Officially Kicks Off

Football season is finally here! Follow All American Kicking all season long for the latest news on how all AAK's students are playing throughout the season. Be sure to sign up for our Game Stats Newsletter on Tuesday's for game results and performance stats for all our guys in both high school and College. 

Here's a look at the games we'll be following August 28 - August 30, 2014. 

August 28, 2014

Freedom vs. Osceola

St. Cloud vs. Centennial Colorado Eaglecrest

August 29, 2014

Apopka vs. Oak Ridge

Armwood vs. Durant

Bishop Moore vs. The First Academy

Dr. Phillips vs. Timber Creek

Edgewater vs. Evans

Lake Highland vs. Trinity Christian

Lake Mary vs. Winter Springs

Terre Haute North vs. THS

Wekiva vs. Jones

August 30, 2014

Orangewood Christian vs. Warner Christian

August 28, 2014
Eastern Illinois vs. Minnesota
Temple vs. Vanderbilt

August 29, 2014
Colorado State vs. Colorado

August 30, 2014

Air Force vs. Nicholls

Colgate vs. Ball State

FAU vs. Nebraska

Florida vs. Idaho

Penn St. vs. UCF

Note: If you're going to be playing and don't see your game listed. Email us: amy@allamericankicking.com

Ready to Snap: Meet AAK Coach Brock Oliver

His college football career began like something out of a dream.

19-year-old Brock Oliver was a true freshman at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the team's long snapper when he was called in during the first half of their season opener against Oklahoma. With no other experience than a few weeks during camp, Oliver kicked off his college football career in front of 85,000 people.

"Playing college football was a dream of mine since I was eight years old," Oliver says. "Watching games on TV and going to games with my Dad, I remember being in awe of the crowd, the players, the traditions, just everything about it. It was something I always wanted to do and I was determined to make that happen." 

Following that first game in 2008, No. 42 was the team's snapper for the next four seasons and named to the Academic All-Southern Conference 2009-2011. Oliver majored in Business Management, graduated and married, but says he was missing his time on the field.

"I was grateful to have been able to live out my dream, but it felt like a piece of me was missing." Oliver adds, "After all those years of preparation and hours of training, it was very difficult to accept the fact that it was all over. There was a huge void in my life to fill."

Oliver began to consider the idea of coaching, something he had enjoyed with his brother, Brynn, in training him to fill his position on the UTC roster after graduating. Brynn successfully made the team and won the starting job, starting all 12 games as long snapper without a single bad snap. "Along with my brother, I have worked with some other high school kids and the snappers at UTC," Oliver says. "After seeing those guys' success, I figured that I must be doing something right."

All American Kicking's Nick Fleming thought he was doing something right, too, inviting Oliver to join the staff as Snapping Director. While snapping instruction has been offered through AAK, it was infrequent and something that Fleming wanted to make a more consistent part of the instructional sessions. Fleming says, "The addition of Coach Brock will allow our snappers to get the same quality instruction as their specialist counterparts." He adds, "I am extremely excited to see the new heights our snappers will reach under Coach Brock's guidance. He brings a great deal of knowledge in snapping technique, along with great experience to share with students about recruiting and college football." 

Oliver will be working with snappers during All American Kicking's weekend sessions, sharing two of his biggest areas of focus: flexibility and having consistent ball placement. Oliver says flexibility is something that is often overlooked and recommends stretching once or twice a day. "It takes all the muscles in your body, working in unison, to execute a perfect snap. It's really hard to be a good snapper, if you're able to bend over, grab the ball, and fire your arms back to the punter, with your legs locking out for full power, without flexible muscles."

The snapping coach says it is important to practice hitting the same target, the punter's hip, every single time. He adds, "Alot of guys out there who specialize in coaching long snappers, coach that speed is everything. While speed is important, college coaches want a guy who they can rely on in a game."

But, there is much more beyond the field that Oliver hopes he can help his students understand, showing them how they can take lessons in football and apply them to other areas of their life. "The game teaches team work, discipline, mental toughness, and other positive character traits that will make you a better man, long after your playing days are over." 

While No. 42's playing days are behind him, he sees how football has opened doors to other opportunities he would not have have enjoyed otherwise. "I really don't think I would be where I am today without having played this game. But now, I am lucky to have the opportunity to work with AAK and get back into the game that I love."