Two years ago you would have found Springfield Catholic senior Logan Brock on the soccer field.
“I had a class with Coach Hancock, total body fitness and we came out here one day to play around with the football and I played soccer my whole life and I figured let’s try and kick a field goal,” said Brock.
That makeshift tryout with Catholic Head Football Coach Steve Hancock changed everything.
“Coach saw me kick one, had me back up and I ended up hitting a 50-yard field my first time with a pair of Vans [sneakers] on and he basically told me I was going to come play,” said Brock with a smile.
Now Brock is one of the best kickers in the area; routinely turning kickoffs into touchbacks and even kicking his team to victory in one the biggest games of the year.
“He’s got a 45-yarder this year already and he’s kicked over 50 yards in practice,” said Hancock.
That skill-set is somewhat rare at the high school level, where coaches often times don’t have a reliable option when it comes to field goals and extra points.
“It’s nice to have that arsenal, it’s very nice to know that once you get on the other side of the 50 yard line you’ve got a chance to put points on the board,” said Hancock.
He’s a secret weapon of sorts for Catholic. And he has a secret weapon of his own: 82-year old kicking and punting coach Allen Ritchie.
“I’ve probably only had two or three kickers who have had the power that he possesses,” said Ritchie.
It’s high praise from a man who’s coached kickers in Missouri for five decades.
“He has the power and his technique is coming along by leaps and bounds,” said Ritchie.
But Brock knows like in life, nobody’s perfect at kicking footballs.
And handling failure may be the most important part of his success.
“Whether you make it or not, you have to think I’m going to make the next one,” said Brock.
That next one could be the most important one yet.
Brock hopes to play football as a kicker or punter in college.
He hasn’t received any offers yet but has been in contact with some division one coaches.
