Published: Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Kickers have good time
during Thunder tryouts
About 25 kickers tried out for one spot on the roster.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — The kicking game will be very important to the Mahoning Valley Thunder of the arenafootball2 league when the team opens its first season next spring at the Chevrolet Centre.
That's because the field is only 50 yards long and no punting is allowed by league rules, which means that, barring turnovers, almost every offensive series in which a touchdown has not been scored and a first down not made could result in a field goal attempt.
And because the field is only half the length of a regular football field, with 30-by-32-foot nets behind each goal post, it is important that kickoffs soar far enough to hit the net and bounce off to give the kickoff team more time to get down the field, to try to put the offense bad field position.
And placekickers have to be extremely accurate because the goal-post uprights are only a narrow 9 feet apart.
On Tuesday, about 25 kickers tried to meet these stringent requirements in the Thunder's open tryouts at the Chevrolet Center on the beautiful Cortland Banks Field, which was unveiled to the public later in the afternoon.
Each of the candidates, who paid $25 to try out, took turns thumping kickoffs, field goals and extra-point attempts, hoping to draw the attention of coach Michael Hold and two of the Thunder's co-owners, Dr. Jon Saadey and Tim Chesney, and receive an invitation to the team's preseason camp in mid-March.
Whether they did or not remains to be seen, but they sure looked like they were having a lot of fun and seemed glad that they made the trip to experience trying out for a professional team.
Hold will sign one kicker
"No more than two kickers will be signed for camp," said Hold while observing and evaluating the kickers. "I'd like to find a guy with local ties, but I'm going to go with the best. I'll only sign one guy [to the team]. We only have 21 roster spots and 19 [players] will dress for the game, or 20 will if we have one who is an international player."
Chesney wished the entire team could be local.
"But that's not going to happen," said Chesney.
Dr. Saadey emphasized that field goals will be important.
"Conceivably there could be a score on every series. There is going to be a lot of points scored. That's how the game is set up," said Dr. Saadey.
Hold actually is hoping other teams will kick field goals against the Thunder as a last resort.
"A field goal is considered a stop for us because the probability of scoring is so high. A field goal is a good thing, although obviously you would like them to score zero," said Hold.
Some of the kicking candidates were from the Youngstown area, including Derek Schorejs of Columbiana, a graduate of Westerville North High who kicked for the Bowling Green State University football team and in the AFL for three years with three different teams
"I live 15 minutes from here and I can play in my backyard," said Schorejs, who also has had an NFL tryout.
They had a good time
Gary Welch and Nate Mailach, both Champion High graduates, got what they wanted from the tryout— a good time.
"It's a unique experience. I came with a friend [Mailach]," said Welch of Warren, who played soccer for Champion High and club soccer for Kent State but has kicked footballs only "recreationally."
Mailach, who played football and soccer for Champion and soccer at East Carolina University, hasn't kicked since high school but, "I came to have a good time. I saw it on TV. I'm a teacher [Grand Valley High] and we had a snow day."
Jason Cherry, a Butler (Pa.) High graduate who kicked for the University of Massachusetts football team for three years and the Johnstown Riverhawks of the AIFL for the last two years, said he would like to play for the Thunder because it would be a closer drive from home.
Cherry said he tries to kick the ball high. "I have made a 55-yard field goal in practice and a 47-yard field goal in a game," said Cherry.
Bruno Giordano of Fairfax, Va., a soccer player who played for Aduana, a developmental league for D.C. United in the English Soccer League, said that he hasn't kicked footballs since high school, but found out about the tryouts on the internet.
Got the knack with different ball
After kicking a few, he said it is better not to kick the ball too hard.
"You have to get used to the ball. It is a lot lighter than a regular football. It's better not to try to kick it too hard, but instead just with a clean strike," said Giordano.
Michael Kulish of Pittsburgh, who played soccer at LaRoche College and also kicked for the Pittsburgh Colts of NAFL, an outdoor league, found out about the tryouts from a newspaper article.
"You got to get the kickoff off the net, and you have to be accurate on extra points. You have to kick strong. You have to get the ball up high," he said.
There also was a father-son team from Columbus, although John Sims Sr. was just watching John Sims Jr. try to make the team.
"I was looking for a team closer to home," said Sims Jr., who has been kicking for the Wyoming Calvary of the NIFL after kicking three years for the Otterbein College football team.
kovach@vindy.com
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
About 25 kickers tried out for one spot on the roster.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — The kicking game will be very important to the Mahoning Valley Thunder of the arenafootball2 league when the team opens its first season next spring at the Chevrolet Centre.
That's because the field is only 50 yards long and no punting is allowed by league rules, which means that, barring turnovers, almost every offensive series in which a touchdown has not been scored and a first down not made could result in a field goal attempt.
And because the field is only half the length of a regular football field, with 30-by-32-foot nets behind each goal post, it is important that kickoffs soar far enough to hit the net and bounce off to give the kickoff team more time to get down the field, to try to put the offense bad field position.
And placekickers have to be extremely accurate because the goal-post uprights are only a narrow 9 feet apart.
On Tuesday, about 25 kickers tried to meet these stringent requirements in the Thunder's open tryouts at the Chevrolet Center on the beautiful Cortland Banks Field, which was unveiled to the public later in the afternoon.
Each of the candidates, who paid $25 to try out, took turns thumping kickoffs, field goals and extra-point attempts, hoping to draw the attention of coach Michael Hold and two of the Thunder's co-owners, Dr. Jon Saadey and Tim Chesney, and receive an invitation to the team's preseason camp in mid-March.
Whether they did or not remains to be seen, but they sure looked like they were having a lot of fun and seemed glad that they made the trip to experience trying out for a professional team.
Hold will sign one kicker
"No more than two kickers will be signed for camp," said Hold while observing and evaluating the kickers. "I'd like to find a guy with local ties, but I'm going to go with the best. I'll only sign one guy [to the team]. We only have 21 roster spots and 19 [players] will dress for the game, or 20 will if we have one who is an international player."
Chesney wished the entire team could be local.
"But that's not going to happen," said Chesney.
Dr. Saadey emphasized that field goals will be important.
"Conceivably there could be a score on every series. There is going to be a lot of points scored. That's how the game is set up," said Dr. Saadey.
Hold actually is hoping other teams will kick field goals against the Thunder as a last resort.
"A field goal is considered a stop for us because the probability of scoring is so high. A field goal is a good thing, although obviously you would like them to score zero," said Hold.
Some of the kicking candidates were from the Youngstown area, including Derek Schorejs of Columbiana, a graduate of Westerville North High who kicked for the Bowling Green State University football team and in the AFL for three years with three different teams
"I live 15 minutes from here and I can play in my backyard," said Schorejs, who also has had an NFL tryout.
They had a good time
Gary Welch and Nate Mailach, both Champion High graduates, got what they wanted from the tryout— a good time.
"It's a unique experience. I came with a friend [Mailach]," said Welch of Warren, who played soccer for Champion High and club soccer for Kent State but has kicked footballs only "recreationally."
Mailach, who played football and soccer for Champion and soccer at East Carolina University, hasn't kicked since high school but, "I came to have a good time. I saw it on TV. I'm a teacher [Grand Valley High] and we had a snow day."
Jason Cherry, a Butler (Pa.) High graduate who kicked for the University of Massachusetts football team for three years and the Johnstown Riverhawks of the AIFL for the last two years, said he would like to play for the Thunder because it would be a closer drive from home.
Cherry said he tries to kick the ball high. "I have made a 55-yard field goal in practice and a 47-yard field goal in a game," said Cherry.
Bruno Giordano of Fairfax, Va., a soccer player who played for Aduana, a developmental league for D.C. United in the English Soccer League, said that he hasn't kicked footballs since high school, but found out about the tryouts on the internet.
Got the knack with different ball
After kicking a few, he said it is better not to kick the ball too hard.
"You have to get used to the ball. It is a lot lighter than a regular football. It's better not to try to kick it too hard, but instead just with a clean strike," said Giordano.
Michael Kulish of Pittsburgh, who played soccer at LaRoche College and also kicked for the Pittsburgh Colts of NAFL, an outdoor league, found out about the tryouts from a newspaper article.
"You got to get the kickoff off the net, and you have to be accurate on extra points. You have to kick strong. You have to get the ball up high," he said.
There also was a father-son team from Columbus, although John Sims Sr. was just watching John Sims Jr. try to make the team.
"I was looking for a team closer to home," said Sims Jr., who has been kicking for the Wyoming Calvary of the NIFL after kicking three years for the Otterbein College football team.
kovach@vindy.com
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
The kicking game will be very important to the Mahoning Valley Thunder of the arenafootball2 league when the team opens...
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