Stock Watch: 2025 Kickers On the Rise
When a Kicker, or Punter starts or receives plenty of playing time as a true freshman, this is usually an indicator of a few things: the team is thin in this position group, or the player already has a great…
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Continue ReadingWhen a Kicker, or Punter starts or receives plenty of playing time as a true freshman, this is usually an indicator of a few things: the team is thin in this position group, or the player already has a great amount of potential, and deserves to see playing time early, especially to gain experience, and an exposure to the game at hand. In the state of North Carolina, there has been a good history of high school kickers making it out the state, to decent college programs, and then making a name for themselves. For most of these players, they started seeing playing time at a young age, which only further developed them. Below, we have listed a few players in the state of NC who we feel are on the rise within the 2025 class, and who have a high level of potential, which will be very interesting to track in the coming years.
Alan Bahena Soto- Bunker Hill
For a freshman, Bahena Soto not only had a great season, but he managed to have a good average points per game. By the end of the season, he finished with a point average of 4.7 per game. In addition to this, Alan managed to accomplish this over a 12-game span. In total, he contributed with 56 points the entire season, including 35 extra points, in 7 total field goals. If this doesn’t speak to his efficiency at an early age, we don’t know what will. Regardless, Bahena Soto has proven to have a very high ceiling, and we have no doubt that he will be playing for a power 5 Program before it is all said and done. He has a decent follow through, and he has good timing on his kicks, and he manages to remain consistent, which is one of the most important things about his position.
Evan Helfrich- Wake Forest
Helfrich not only had a great season, but he proved to have plenty of development left ahead of him. This is not a bad thing, as he showed flashes of being able to make field goals, as well as extra points look easy. Helfrich not only made use of his time on the field, but he managed to average a little over 3 points a game, which is impressive for his age considering that not many freshman play that early in their high school career. By the end of the season, he had a total of 36 points, which showed that he has decent kicking mechanics, but he can still work on his overall accuracy and leg strength down the road. If he can manage to do this going into next season, we have no doubt that he will be a stellar player his sophomore year.
Drew Levy- South Garner
Even though there is a bit of a drop off in Levy’s total points compared to Helfrich, his 29 total points on the season last year is still solid for his age. Not only did Levy nail 3 field goals, totaling 9 points, but he also hit 20 extra points, which is efficient for a freshman who did not have a full time job at his position. Levy has a bright future ahead of him, but we would like to see him hit kicks from the hashes more often, in more pressured, and tougher situations to truly gauge what we think his ceiling may be. Nevertheless, he has plenty of talent for his age, and a lot of this can be seen in the way that he follows through with his kickers, and his attempts to eliminate wasted movement.
Angel Gomez-Corona- Millbrook
Last season, Gomez-Corona only played in about five games, but he made the most out of each of the games he played in. As a freshman, he managed to nail four field goals, resulting in 12 total points from this. In addition to this, Gomez-Corona was also very efficient with his extra points, totaling 8 extra points by the end of the season. In total he had 20 points, but had an average of 4 points a game, which is very good for a player his age. Additionally, we do think he has plenty of growth ahead of him in terms of his overall leg strength, kicking mechanics, and timing. This is not a bad thing though, because we think that more time on the field will help him in these areas. Moving into next season, it will be interesting to see the role that he takes for his team, and the efficiency that he is able to play at.