When it comes tobrkickers, Carroll isn't going to run out any time this season. The Dragons arebrstacked on special teams with three kickers competing for time on the field.brWhile it's not rare for a football team to list multiple kickers on a roster,brthis particular crew is raising some eyebrows.
There is abrformer linebacker and Division I prospect. Then there is a sophomore who gotbrhis first taste of varsity play during last year's postseason. And there is abrsoccer star who holds the school's record for shutouts. Together, this groupbrcould hold the keys that may make or break the season.
“Everythingbrright now is still a competition, senior kicker Neal Koskay says. “We all dobrwhat we can to the best of our abilities. If I have an off day, then I knowbrthat one of those two or even both of them are right there and good enough tobrcompete. They're eager and hungry and so am I.”
While the triad fiercelybrtrains, they're also taking time to encourage each other and look out for thebrDragons' best interests. Here is a closer look at this year's Dragon kickers:brNeal Koskay, Madi Martin and Joe McFadden.
82 Neal Koskay
Like manybrDragons, Koskay has played football from a young age. He honed his skills inbrDragon Youth Football as both a kicker and a linebacker. During his sophomorebryear Koskay faced injuries that forced him to give up his role on defense.
“[Kicking] wasbrmy first love of football, so that's what I decided to stick with,” hebrexplains.
As a senior onbrvarsity, Koskay has been with many of his teammates through thick and thin. Thebrfact that his era as a Dragon is about to come to a close isn't lost on him.
“It's an honorbrto be a part of this team, especially as a senior, being in the program for fourbryears and being with the teammates this year is really exciting,” he says. “We'vebrbeen playing since Dragon Youth Football, and now we're all here as seniors andbrit's kind of surreal to think about, but it's very exciting.”
Many Dragon fansbrshare his excitement as the year was already full of change before it began.brWith a new head coach at the helm and plenty of returning talent on offense andbrdefense, the season looks promising. Koskay is well acquainted with onebrparticular player returning to the field to hold kicks… and lead the team.
“[Quarterback]brWill Bowers has been holding the kicks since he was a sophomore on varsity,”brKoskay says. “So he's really experienced and seasoned. In my opinion, he's onebrof the best high school holders in the country.”
Competing forbrplays against Madi Martin and Joe McFadden pushes him, but the three manage tobrkeep the contest congenial.
“We allbrencourage each other and we all compete every day just to make each otherbrbetter,” he says. “We all go to the same private kicking coach, so we all arebrvery familiar with each other's techniques, strengths and weaknesses. We try tobrhelp each other out and lift each other up.”
As the seasonbrprogresses, Koskay keeps grinding away, eager to play in college. When it comesbrto college recruitment, kickers have a much different field to navigate. It'sbrrare for kickers to be offered scholarship positions straight out of highbrschool. They have to fight tooth and nail to get into the best camps in thebrcountry to garner the attention of recruiters, which is exactly what Koskay isbrdoing.
Kohl's KickingbrCamp – one of the largest and most prestigious in the nation – listed him as abrfive-star kicker, their highest rating. He attended the Chris Sailer KickingbrTop 12 Camp – an invite-only camp for the top kickers in the country – where hebrwas also listed as a five-star recruit. And it is paying off, as Koskay hasbrofficially been offered preferred walk-on status from the University ofbrLouisiana Monroe.
“I've beenbrtalking to some colleges as well as some college coaches,” he says. “I'm stillbrexploring all of my options as far as which school I'm interested in, and I'mbropen to any possibilities.”
It's abrterrifying gamble to attend a university you may never play at, but with a legbrlike Koskay's, it's safe to say the odds are in his favor.
85 Madi Martin
It goes without sayingbrthat Martin is in a unique situation for the Carroll Dragons. But being thebronly girl on the football team – and the first girl on varsity – doesn't seembrto phase her.
“I'm justbranother player on the field,” she says. “I'm not trying to make myself any morebrthan I am – I know my role on the team. I told them, ‘Hey, I know I'm a girl, Ibrknow it's weird, but I love football so much.'”
The varsitybrgoalkeeper and Dragon kicker is fueled by her passion for the sport and hasbrbeen for quite some time. She played football in middle school, ranging frombroffense and defense positions to kicker. During her freshman year, she joinedbrthe team as a kicker, but stopped playing for the next two years to focus onbrsoccer. Now, she is balancing both.
“I got intobr[kicking] because my neighbor and old family friend was a kicker, so I wasbralways training with him while he worked on his kicks,” Martin says. “Then Ibrwas like, ‘Hey, this could actually be something I could do.'”
Her teammatesbrwill attest that it really is something she can do. Both Koskay and McFaddenbrspeak highly of her talent. The coaches have her focusing on PATs (point afterbrtouchdowns, or extra point) and short yard field goals, she says.
Like many otherbrDragons, Martin has worked under two head coaches. And like her fellow kickers,brshe only has good things to say about new head coach Riley Dodge. While formerbrcoach Hal Wasson gladly took her on the team, Martin was unsure of how Dodgebrmight react to her return to Dragon football.
“He's made mebrfeel welcome,” Martin says. “I didn't know how he was going to handle thisbrbecause he already had a lot going on. He's done a great job and I'm excitedbrfor what he has in store for us this year.”
The rest of thebrteam mirrors their coach's attitude toward Martin. Most have played football withbrher before, so it's nothing new to them. Martin describes the team's responsebrto her return as nonchalant.
“When they heardbrI was coming back they were like, ‘Oh okay,'” she says. “A lot of them arebrpretty accustomed to it. We are just trying to make me feel like one of thebrguys.”
Her schoolbrschedule is currently quadruple blocked as varsity soccer and football bothbrtake two class periods. Upon graduating, she hopes to attend the Air ForcebrAcademy and play soccer. Having four years of varsity experience and holding thebrcareer shutout record (43) for the Lady Dragons should go a long way in gettingbrher on the team. Until then, she is chasing her passion, two sports at a time.
“I'm not tryingbrto be a sideshow, I'm just here because I love football,” she says.
84 Joe McFadden
Competing forbrplaying time against two seniors could be daunting for a sophomore on varsity,brbut McFadden takes it in stride.
“It's prettybrneck in neck,” he says. “Each of us can kick and punt at a high level. We justbrleave it up to Coach Loveless every week to decide who gets to play, and it'sbrultimately based on our performance that week in practice.”
After the firstbrgame this season, McFadden was 1/1 on field goals. He has an ability to comebrthrough in the clutch, a skill that was recognized last year when he was only abrfreshman. He started out on the freshman team, but got pulled up to varsitybrduring the first week of playoffs. He didn't expect to play, but he got hisbrfirst opportunity against Waco Midway. Under the light of Baylor's McLanebrStadium, the freshman got his first varsity play during the 6A quarterfinals.
Now as a sophomore,brhe continues to compete for time on the field. He admits that it can bebrchallenging with two other talented individuals vying for the same thing.
“As kickers, Ibrknow we're supposed to be the calm people on the team, but we can fight a littlebrbit in practice,” he says. “But after we take the helmets and should pads off,brwe're all friends again and realize we're all here for a common goal and that'sbrto help the team.”
While many onbrthe team, like Koskay and Martin, have been playing together since at leastbrmiddle school, McFadden first joined the Dragons last year. His family moved tobrCarroll while he was in seventh grade, so Dragon Youth Football was out of thebrpicture. Even so, his kicking leg was getting plenty of practice.
“I played soccerbra lot, but football didn't really cross my mind until my dad mentioned it,”brMcFadden says. “Then I started playing kicker and safety my freshman year. Ibrdropped safety because I realized I was a lot better at kicker and had a futurebrin it.”
And it certainlybrappears that he has a future in the position. For the class of 2021, McFaddenbris ranked second in the nation through Chris Sailer Kicking and sixth in thebrnation by Kohl's Kicking. During the first game of the season, he had seven puntsbrfor 240 yards, in addition to a field goal. His longest kick in practice so farbrwas a 62 yarder and as a freshman, McFadden posted a 48-yaed field goal.
While getting abrD1 scholarship as a kicker is rare, that is his long term goal. For now,brhowever, the sophomore is taking things game by game.
“This year, I'mbrjust trying to focus on making field goals,” McFadden says. “That's all it isbrreally. I don't want to make it anything more than that. Once you try to makebrit something more, you get all this pressure and you get flustered when you gobrout to kick. It's all about just taking a deep breath and take it one kick at abrtime.”