Culver City's collective special teams combination. From left to right, holder - Caden Kim, kicker - Daniel Perez, kicker and punter- Hudson King, kicker and punter - Nathan Garcia and long-snapper - Xavier Hodge stand together after the Centaurs win over Dorsey last week.
Football kickers and football offensive linemen have a lot in common. As a kicker if you miss a point after a touchdown, have a punt go off the side of your foot, have a bad kickoff or if you miss a field goal, the big spotlight is on you. As a lineman if you miss a block or if you are called for a penalty it feels like the whole world is watching.
Football is a team sport but both positions are magnified when you make a mistake. Kicking may be a little more difficult because it takes at least three players to make everything work to get a positive result. "Being a kicker is very one sided," said Hudson King before practice last Monday. "It can be a lot of pressure because you are expected to do everything correctly and when you don't everything is against you at that point."
This is King's second year kicking for Culver City and during that time frame he has developed into a very reliable kicker. He was recruited to play football by last years star kicker, Henry Brownlow, when Brownlow saw King playing soccer. "I have a soccer background." said King. Last year the 6'4 180-pound Brownlow was one of the best kickers in Southern California.
King does triple duty for the Centaurs. He the teams' punter, kickoff specialist and he also kicks long fields. King gets excited when he talks about Brownlow. "Henry taught me everything. He is the reason I started playing football. He taught me everything I know about kicking."
If you watch football, you know that every time a kicker steps onto the field it's pressure time. "During the game I try to relax as much as possible and act like it's just a normal day at practice and then I do whatever I have to do. Every time I go into a game, I just imagine myself doing the best that I can do"
King works with a team of three players. The long snapper, the holder and the kicker. It all begins with the long snapper. If he makes a mistake everything falls apart. "I take a deep breath and try to relax and make sure I get the snap (hike) off good to the holder," said long snapper Xavier Hodge. "We practice every day to make sure we eliminate mistakes."
Not only is Hodge the long snapper he is like a Swiss army knife for the Centaur football team. He plays five positions. "He is a very special player who comes to practice every day and does whatever we ask him to do make our team better," said head coach Jahmal Wright. Dodge plays defensive line, linebacker, wing back, fullback and he is the long snapper.
"I just want to help the team and make us a better team," said Hodge. "Whatever I need to do to help the team, that's what I will do."
Culver City also has two other kickers and a holder and they along with King and Hodge combine to collectively make up a very successful kicking combination. The other kickers are Nathan Garcia, who kicks short field goals and Daniel Perez, and the holder is Caden Kim.
Most of the Bay league games will be intense and tight so the kicking game may be the difference between and a victory or a defeat. The league is a combined 22-8 with three teams going into league play with 5-0 records. Culver City is 5-0, Inglewood is 5-0 and Leuzinger is 5-0. Mira Costa is 3-2, Lawndale is 2-3 and Culver City's opponent on Friday night, Palos Verdes is also 2-3.
Kick off for the game on Friday is set for 7 p.m. at Culver City on the Jerry Chabola football field. In the last six years Culver City is 2-4 against Palos Verdes. Palos Verdes is led on offense by quarterback Ryan Rakowski who has thrown for 833 yards, Andrew Habif has run for 253 yards and Joey Koyama has 22 catches for 258 yards. "We know each other very well and we know their 2-3 record means nothing," said Wright. "They always play hard against Culver City."
The Culver City offense is led by quarterback Seth Shigg. Shigg has thrown for 1231 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has also run for 324 yards and seven touchdowns. Myles Singleton leads all receivers with 25 receptions for 552 yards and five touchdowns and his brother, Braylon Singleton has caught 11 passes for 314 yards and seven touchdowns.
"I feel really confident with the team we have," said Shigg. "I'm very confident because of the athletes we have on this team. I feel like everyone is working towards the same goal. The veteran players have helped everyone build a lot of camaraderie on the team and that's what keep us going."
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