JUST FOR KICKS
AUSTIN, Texas — Central Columbia senior Mason Yorty proved to football coach Scott Dennis that he had the potential to do great things with his kicking leg.
Yorty now gets the chance to show that to college scouts and coaches this weekend at the Kicking World National Showcase in Austin, Texas.
“I knew Mason was going to be special when he showed tremendous interest in getting better,” Dennis said. “He got a personal coach and got stronger. He kept working at it and steadily improved through the work he put into it.”
He first captured the instructional staff’s attention when he arrived at a camp in Toms River, New Jersey, in July, wearing “throwback Oakley sunglasses.” The staff took interest in his personality, remembering he could take and dish jokes. His skills, however, had the final say.
Out of 45 participants, Yorty placed first in the punt challenge, with his best ball going 50 yards with a hang time of 4.25 seconds. He finished in a two-way tie for second in the field goal challenge, missing both of his kicks from 55 yards after making his first seven — including a 50-yard field goal. He also placed in the top 10 in kickoffs, finishing seventh; he averaged 57.67 yards per boot with his best going 63 yards.
“He’s got a huge punting leg. He really impressed me and the staff,” said Brent Grablachoff, founder of Kicking World. “He showed he could consistently play at a top-notch college program. If he could improve a little bit, he could put himself at the D1 level.
“We were thoroughly impressed with his punting; not to say his kicking isn’t good. He was hitting bombs all weekend (at Toms River) and showed he could play at the next level. That’s why we invited him.”
For VIPs only
The invite list is short and sweet with less than 10% of Kicking World’s camp participants getting asked to travel to the showcase.
Yorty is excited to show they made the right choice to invite him.
“I’m kind of hoping this camp helps me with college,” he said. “The camp is all about getting college coaches’ attention. I’m not really rattled (by the exposure). I just plan on going out like I always do — with a clear head and kick the ball.”
The senior isn’t committed to a college and is hoping to gain the attention of Division I or Division II teams. It could end up being a case of the right time, right place.
“We usually see around 2,000 people tune in to watch,” Grablachoff said. “Majority of that is family that didn’t travel with the kids, but there are typically hundreds of college coaches tuning in. This year, because of the pandemic, that number could increase. I think the number will jump up because coaches haven’t been allowed to interact with high school athletes face-to-face since the spring.”
Yorty isn’t nervous in the buildup to the biggest stage of his varsity career. Dennis thinks if the senior sticks to what got him to this point, there is no reason for him to be tense.
“He just has to be himself out there. Don’t be somebody that you’re not. You’re generally less accurate when you’re doing things you’re not used to doing,” Dennis said. “Everything will take care of itself. I have all the confidence in him.”
For the year, Yorty went 5-for-5 on field goals. His longest went for 38 yards. He also was 12 of 13 in extra points. When punting for the Blue Jays, he averaged 41.7 yards per attempt — getting the ball off 32 times.
Link to story: https://www.pressenterpriseonl...
