Senior Specialists ready to make an Instant Impact

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Special teams can win or lose ballgames, and there are plenty of instances throughout football history to prove this. Although the general public remember plays like Cody Parkey's double doink or Tony Romo's botched hold, there are plenty of other instances where specialists bring their team to victory. In this list, I'll be looking at special teamers that give their team a leg up in the points column.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["242409"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Becker's X-factor kicker heading into the fall, [player_tooltip player_id='242409' first='Zach' last='Bengston'] combines a powerful leg with the ability to hit his chip shots consistently, two very important skills for a kicker to have. He's kicked game winners, he's kicked from every hash, and he also drills extra points seamlessly. Bengston went 41 for 42 on extra points on the year, and his only u0022missu0022 was actually blocked. His approach is powerful and looks virtually the same on every kick, which shows how fine tuned his form is. On top of all of this, he also does kickoffs, and averaged over 57 yards per kick as well as accumulating nine touchbacks on the season. Overall, Bengston is one heck of a kicker, and he should have plenty more opportunities to show his stuff this fall.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["629434"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The do it all rising senior out of Elk River, [player_tooltip player_id='629434' first='Carter' last='Bloom'] is a force to be reckoned with in every facet of kicking, and his absolute boot of a leg is a major reason for this success. For extra points and field goals, he splits the uprights without a hitch, driving his leg into the ball forcefully to send it flying well past the goalposts. His approach is somewhat unconventional, but it surely gets the job done. However, his biggest strength is most definitely kickoffs. On more occasions then one, I saw Bloom boom the ball well past the returner, resulting in an immediate touchback and ideal field position for his defense. Even when he isn't racking up touchbacks, Bloom kicks off in a high, arching manner to pair with incredible distance, giving his coverage team plenty of time to get down the field and take out the returner. This kind of leg strength at the prep level is a dream come true for coaches, and Bloom was a big contributor on a very successful Elk River team.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["128810"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Minnetonka's four and a half star kicker according to Kohl's Kicking, [player_tooltip player_id='128810' first='Keagan' last='Zabilla']'s leg is an asset to his team that helps both rack up points and control field position throughout each and every game he is a part of. He hits field goals in the high 30's with dozens of yards to spare, and I honestly think his range could span in the mid 50's if he was ever given an in game opportunity for a kick that far. Zabilla also utlizes a strategic u0022sky kicku0022 on many of his kickoffs, pinning unfortunate returners inside the five, where they are then forced to run with little to no space. If he didn't already sound threatening enough as a specialist, Zabilla also punts for his team, where he has the ability to boot the ball 40 yard down the field with a four second hang time to match. All in all, this guy clearly knows how to kick a football, and he has garnered D1 interest as a result of his feats on the field.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["105406"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"A punter that hails out of Edina, [player_tooltip player_id='105406' first='Eldon' last='De Avila'] pairs hang time with leg strength, which work together to create a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators. In 10 games for the Hornets, De Avila produced a staggering 10 punts that ended up inside the 20 yard line, and five that made it inside the 10. The fact that he pinned his opponents at least once a game is absurd for a punter at any level, much less high school. His kicking approach is as consistent as any other specialist on this list, and this allows him to get a running start to kick the ball without colliding with his shield team. The cherry on top of all of this is his hang time, which gives the punt coverage team the ability to swarm the returner before he can field the ball. This almost always results in either a fair catch or a favorable bounce for Edina, and I'm sure they are excited to have De Avila back for another season.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Declan Wilson","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2441","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"St. Thomas Academy","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Another four and a half star kicker according to Kohl's Kicking Camps, Declan Wilson has arguably the biggest leg on this list. A rising senior out of Saint Thomas Academy, Wilson has film that shows him hitting field goals of 50 yards with plenty of room to spare. Thanks to these impressive kicks, Wilson has slowly but surely began to carve a name out for himself within the kicking community, and has been invited to camps across the country to put his skills on display for college recruiters to watch. As his offseason tour continues, expect to hear a lot more about Wilson going into the fall, where he will play his final season with the Cadets.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-643999ba1933f"} /-->