One-Third of the Game: Special Teams Contributors from Section VI

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To the casual fan, Special Teams is only noticed when there is a big play; A kickoff returned for a touchdown, a blocked punt or when a Field Goal goes wide. But the truth of the matter is that Special Teams plays a pivotal role throughout an entire game. In this article, I will discuss players who played a vital role in their team's successes through what I feel is the most important aspect of football. Many high school kickers, punters and returners play other positions on offense and defense. But here, I will discuss these athletes based on their contribution to Special Teams only.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Roger Markham","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Although Falconer fell short in the first round of the sectional playoffs in Class C, that is not to overshadow the effect Roger Markham had on the team's journey to make it as far as they did. Markham was their full time Punter leading Section VI with 1,056 punt yards (with a long of 71) on 32 kicks, 6 of which landed inside the 20. An overall fantastic athlete, Roger was also Falconer's main Kick u0026amp; Punt Returner, taking 15 Kicks for 315 yards with a long return of 71. He added 10 Punt Returns for 290 yards and a 50 yard touchdown. Roger Markham displays incredible football instincts with a great ability to cut and follow his blockers. A two sport athlete as a Sophomore in 2023, Markham should get much deserved attention from Colleges for his superb athleticism.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["451481"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":1116910,"_player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"CSP were the Section VI Class D Champions in 2023 and you would be hard pressed to find a play were [player_tooltip player_id='451481' first='Bryce' last='Hinsdale'] was not on the field. With a 10-0 record on the season, Hinsdale played no small part as the team's primary Kicker u0026amp; Punter along with being an occasional return man. Of his 62 kickoffs (led all of Section VI), 7 went for touchbacks. CSP did not have to punt much but when they did, they called on Bryce who's 13 punts went for 490 yards, with 4 landing inside the 20 yard line. He also put points on the board as a place kicker with his 40 Extra Points and 4 Field Goals. Hinsdale, with only 5 kick/punt returns to his credit, made the most of them going for 122 yards and a 58 yard touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id='451481' first='Bryce' last='Hinsdale'] is an impressive prospect with great range and his contributions to Offense, Defense and of course Special Teams will make him highly sought after as a Senior in 2024.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["811905"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":1113230,"_player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"One of the few players in Section VI that is a pure Kicker and Punter, Callard had a great season in 2023, helping Medina win 10 straight games before they lost in the Class C Championship game. [player_tooltip player_id='811905' first='Cole' last='Callard'] led Section VI in every kicking category - 44 Xpts and tied for the longest Field Goal made with 47 yards (while making 4 FGs on the season), 3,106 kickoff yards, 24 (of 55 Kickoffs) going for touchbacks. Cole was also their primary Punter. Not called upon as much as a Punter, he had 7 punts for 273 yards, with a long of 57. [player_tooltip player_id='811905' first='Cole' last='Callard'] has a bright future ahead with a strong leg and being coached by former NFL Kicker, Mike Vanderjagt.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":[806912],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":1113241,"_player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"A Junior in 2023, [player_tooltip player_id='806912' first='Demaree' last='Baker']-Houston displayed his 4.5 type speed with incredible quickness and outstanding balance. It rarely takes one player to tackle Baker. He is an overall great athlete that can play a wide variety of positions. North Tonawanda struggled in 2023, giving Demaree plenty of opportunities to shine on kick returns, which he did, leading Section VI with 465 kick return yards on 24 attempts. He also had a spectacular 90 yard kick return for a touchdown vs #2 Starpoint late in the season. Baker-Houston is a diamond in the rough that deserves the spotlight and attention from colleges. He will look to increase his yardage total as a Senior.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["648914"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Another pure Kicker/Punter from Section VI, Griffey led the league by going 5/5 on Field Goal attempts, with his longest being from 35 yards out. Brendan also added 27 Extra Points on the season. On Kickoffs, [player_tooltip player_id='648914' first='Brendan' last='Griffey'] had 5 of his 41 attempts go for (60 yard) touchbacks. Unfortunately, many of his kickoffs were designed squib kicks. At the college level, where kickoffs are of high value, Griffey can be an asset. His ability as a punter was even more impressive, ranking 3rd in Section VI with 703 yards, with 3 landing inside the 20 yard line. Griffey made 1st team All Western New York as a Punter. A lot of High Schools don't use Special Teams specific coaches but if [player_tooltip player_id='648914' first='Brendan' last='Griffey'] gets the chance to work with a high level coach, I think he can make a name for himself.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["806352"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Every time [player_tooltip player_id='806352' first='Niear' last='Patterson'] had the ball, he was a threat to put up 6. There weren't many statistics entered on Patterson's Junior season but what was shown was 3 kick returns for touchdowns, including an 88 yarder in week 1 vs Williamsville East when Sweet Home won 21-16. Along with being a kick returner, Patterson also took back punts, scoring an 80 yard return vs Iroquois which turned out to be another one possession win. There is a case to be made that without [player_tooltip player_id='806352' first='Niear' last='Patterson']'s prowess on Special Teams, Sweet Home goes from 6-3 and a #4 seed in the playoffs to no more than 4-5 and possibly knocked out of the Class A bracket. This is a special player that will put colleges on notice. Patterson made 1st team All Western New York as a Kick Returner.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"Ricaldo Valdaz","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"5'6u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"Hutchinson-Central Tech High School","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Used primarily as a Kick Returner, 2023 was Ricaldo Valdaz's first year playing for the Engineers and he made is presence felt right away in week 1 when he returned a kick 86 yards for a touchdown vs North Tonawanda. That ended up being the difference maker as Hutch-Tech would go on to win 18-12. He would end up finishing the season with 14 Kick Returns for 348 yards (24.8 Avg) and 1 TD. Valdaz, who played some defense, has been viewed as one of the toughest players on the team. He has incredible quickness and phenomenal football instincts. All signs point to him having a monstrous senior year in 2024.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6578b7a295dc3"} /-->