Published: Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 / Updated: Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 05:19 PM

Stallion, Trojan kickers boot 'em high and deep

More often, high school kickers are booming kickoffs into the end zone, and when they do, it's a powerful defensive play for their teams.

In high school football, returning kicks out of the end zone is prohibited on punts and kickoffs. That raises the question why players are allowed to return interceptions and fumbles when they happen inside the goal line.

A kick into the end zone is ruled a touchback, and the receiving team gets the ball on its 20. The coaches on the other sideline are satisfied because it gives their defense good field position.

Two of the best at reaching the end zone are South Pointe junior Landon Ard and Northwestern senior Ryan Foster, both of whom are also soccer players.

Ard attended a Ray Guy Kicking Camp at Summerville High School. He believes he knows why more kickers are putting the ball into orbit and pinning the opposing teams back — and it has nothing to do with football.

“It happens all the time,'' Ard said of the long kickoffs. “I believe it's because of soccer. Each year, it seems like more soccer players come out and play football.

“Ryan and I are good friends. We've played Discoveries soccer together since we were 10. But this year, we had players at nearly all the York County schools kicking for their football teams … Fernando Gonzalez at Rock Hill, Wil Pickel at Westminster Catawba, Trevor Witcher at Nation Ford, Josh Gantzer at Fort Mill and Clover's Jonathan Faile. All of us play Discoveries soccer together.''

Soccer players do a lot of running and work with weights to build leg strength. Kicking comes naturally, but it's not that easy at first switching from soccer to football, basically because of the shape of the ball. Ard said it was a big adjustment, but that it became easier after he learned the steps.

Foster has played in goal for Northwestern's soccer team that won the last two Class AAAA state championships. People who don't know the sport assume all a goalie does is stand in front of the net and try to keep the opposing team from scoring.

There's a little more to it. When teams gain possession near their goal and want to get the ball downfield as far as they can, they usually rely on their goalie to take the uncontested kick.

Ryan is a master at drilling the ball deep to the other team's end of the field. He's also a pretty good football player. He has made seven of 10 field goals, the longest from 39 yards, and six have been between 30 and 39 yards. He's 41 for 45 on extra-point attempts, and he's filled in at punter three times and has a 31-yard average.

“I just got finished playing fall soccer, and now it's all football,'' Foster said. “Most of the season, we're practicing our kicking game first so I could leave and go to soccer practice. I came to the school with our other kicker, James Smith, at least three or five times a week to kick.

“It was tough at first, switching to a different-shaped ball. But once I got my steps down for my approach, it was all downhill. When I go out to kick a field goal or an extra point, I focus on my steps and keeping my head down. If you want to be a good kicker, you have to practice, practice and practice.''

Foster is a very good soccer player, and he likely will receive some scholarship offers. He plans to attend Clemson next year and has grown to like football so much that he's considering walking on and trying to win the Tigers' kicking job. That's what former York Comprehensive standout Spencer Lanning did at South Carolina. He's won the starting job and has earned a scholarship.

Ard said he got a lot of help last year from South Pointe's record-setting kicker, Graham Tuttle. Ard does all the Stallions' kicking and has a powerful leg. The hardest thing for him was finding the sweet spot. He learned quickly that it was on the side opposite the seams and just below the middle of the ball.

He's 64 of 66 on extra-point attempts and eight of 11 on field goals, the longest a 49-yarder. Ard has punted 41 times and has a 42.1 average. He has 53 touchbacks on 83 kickoffs.

Foster has kicked off 72 times and has 22 touchbacks, but for a good reason.

“We have multiple kickoff calls,'' said Roger Neely, the Trojans' kicking coach. “We don't always want him kicking into the end zone. It's a good weapon to use, but what we call depends on the team we are playing and the situation.

“Our kick coverage has improved since we played South Pointe the first time this season. There are times where we want to keep the ball in play so we can get downfield and tackle the kick returner inside the 20. We ask Ryan to get the ball as close to the end zone as he can, and he's pretty good at it.''

There are no such orders for Ard. Earlier this season, the Stallions put all its players to the left of the ball on a kickoff this season and the opposing players adjusted, leaving the right side uncovered. Ard faked left and kicked the ball to the right side. He ran behind the football and made the recovery for one of the best onside kicks you'd ever want to see.

“But you know,'' Ard said, “it seems like to me that the rest of the times our coach (Bobby Carroll) grabbed me before I went out to kick off and told me to kick it into the end zone. I don't mind because I try to do it every time I kick.''

Friday's game

Who: South Pointe (10-3) vs. Northwestern (8-5)

What: Class AAAA Division II semifinals

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Where: District Three Stadium

Tickets: $6; will be sold starting at 3 p.m. Friday at the ticket booth at District Threre Stadium on the Stadium Street side

Passes: Only those issued by the South Carolina High School League will be accepted