Indian Land kicker reaches national stage

At a Steve Smith football camp as a seventh-grader, Indian Land’s Brandon Dickerson defended a much taller and more physical player in a passing drill. He came down without the ball and broke his sternum when the receiver landed squarely on top of him.

It took months before Dickerson fully recovered, but it turned out to be the start of something special.

Dickerson, who also played soccer, enjoyed watching football on Sundays with his father. He liked imitating the kickers, which he started to take it a little more seriously during sixth grade.

But it wasn’t until the sternum injury that kicking became Dickerson’s true passion because when he returned to the football field following the injury he was only cleared to kick.

“The coaches started telling me I was good so in my seventh grade year I started just kicking and not playing anything else,” said Dickerson, 14, a freshman kicker on the Warrior’s JV team during the recently-completed season.

He had good seventh and eighth grade years, but it wasn’t until this past summer that the recognition started to follow him.

Dickerson did well at a regional camp at South Point High School and was invited to a tryout for the U.S. Under-16 National Team in Canton, Ohio.

There, Dickerson went 11-12 on field goals, including hitting a 37-yard try that gave his team a victory. There was stiff competition and after playing in the NFL Hall of Fame stadium, Dickerson left Canton and waited on word if he made the team.

“It was the best experience I have ever had,” he said. “It was really cool, but I still wasn’t sure if I had made the team.”

One week passed and then two, but as Dickerson sat in class on the third week, his phone vibrated with the news: He’d become the only player selected from the Carolinas to represent the United States in the International Bowl, which takes place Feb. 5 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and pits 60 of the best U.S. players against their Canadian counterparts.

“I looked at my phone and I had no words,” he said. “I was in shock, but ever since then I’ve been really ready.”

Dickerson has yet to kick on the varsity team, but made 26 of 27 field goals on the JV team – including all three from 30 yards or further. Getting so much recognition is humbling but motivating.

“I get to represent the United States, which is cool,” he said. “But the more I think about it, I get to represent Indian Land, Lancaster, South Carolina and North Carolina, so it’s a big deal to me and something that I’m very proud of.”

Dickerson said placekicking is his preference, but he is becoming a better punter the more he works on it.

He is planning to attend more camps, including kicking guru Chris Sailer and the Football University camps, but will hone his craft with Dan Orner, a local kicking specialist who will be in Dallas with him.

Dickerson hopes to play in the NFL, but if that doesn’t work out he would love to use his powerful left kicking foot to pay for his college education.

“My goal is to do well in high school and get some colleges to recruit me,” he said. “I think it’s cool that kicking could pay for my education, and help me major in biology or go to medical school.”

But as Dickerson looks forward to kicking in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in February, he has something in mind that could help him get a little more recognition.

“Originally the thought of playing in that stadium scared me,” he said. “But the more I thought about it, I’m pretty fortunate to be representing my country and it makes me think, ‘Wow, I have a big chance.’ My goal now is to do well there and I really want to hit the big screen in the stadium.”

Since the injury that changed his football direction, Dickerson has been turning heads.

“It’s pretty cool I get to do this,” he said. “I’ve put in a lot of work, but it’s starting to pay off for me and it’s exciting.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Indian Land kicker reaches national stage."