Specialist’s Corner: week zero

<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Fourth-down heroes</strong></span> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>Jaxson Whittiker</strong> | Hilldale '22</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #e8e3e3;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">6'0"  K/P/WR</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">Not committed</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div class="mceTemp"> <img class="size-medium wp-image-186809" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/Jaxson-Whittiker-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> Photo: Becky Schiller, Hilldale Public Schools </div> <ul style="list-style-type: square;"> <li>Biggest strength: <strong>pooch kickoff placement</strong></li> <li>Favorite pro: <strong>Greg Zurlein</strong></li> <li>Goal for 2021: <strong>All-State</strong></li> </ul> → Whittiker returns for his senior season at Hilldale after leading his district in field goals and average kickoff distance in 2020. The versatile specialist, who also plays basketball and soccer for the Hornets, finished second-in-district last season with 39.5 yards-per-punt, as well. Whittiker first joined the Hilldale football team during his freshman season. "All my life I've played sports, mainly soccer and basketball," Whittiker said. "A football coach saw me playing soccer and asked me to come kick for the football team and I agreed to do so, and I have absolutely fallen in love with football." Whittiker, who hit a 57-yard field goal with a live snap and hold during fall camp last week, now has his eyes set on playing football at the next level. Along with all-state aspirations, Whittiker hopes to land a "solid offer to play at the next level" this season. Whittiker also looks forward to the opportunity for a more inflated offensive role as a receiver, he said. As a junior, Whittiker caught a couple passes for the Hornets, but will be called upon more often as a starter in 2021. https://twitter.com/hornettouchdown/status/1425585084501999620?s=21 <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>Magnus Lepak</strong> | Holland Hall '22</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="height: 21px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #e8e3e3;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 50%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">6'0" K/P</td> <td style="width: 50%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Not committed</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <ul style="list-style-type: square;"> <li>Biggest strength: <strong>accuracy</strong></li> <li>Favorite pro: <strong>Kyler Murray</strong></li> <li>Goal for 2021: <strong>perfect FG/PAT %</strong></li> </ul> → A versatile athlete, Lepak spent most of his life participating in football, soccer, basketball, track and Taekwondo, in which he earned a second-degree black belt. "[Taekwondo] to me was very significant and meaningful because not only did it make me a better athlete," Lepak said, "but also a better, more disciplined person, as well." A lifelong Tulsan, Lepak has attended Holland Hall school since he was three years old, for which he credits his parents' sacrifices. "My parents have helped me a lot in my kicking journey," Lepak said, "always encouraging and pushing me to work hard and to be the best I can." Lepak earned 2A-5 Special Teams MVP in 2019 after booting nine field goals in his sophomore campaign. His junior year, however, was stunted by an ankle injury early in the season. Upon his return for Holland Hall's 3A state-title run, he converted on 4-of-7 field goals for the Dutch. Lepak is a four-and-a-half-star rated kicker by Chris Sailer, who described Lepak as "a competitor that does well under pressure." "[Lepak] is smooth and accurate and easily has 50+ yard range," Sailer said. "Magnus is ready to move to the ground." https://twitter.com/lepakmagnus/status/1414294000270520320?s=21 <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>Daniel Real</strong> | Enid '23</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #e8e3e3;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">5'7" K/P</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">Not committed</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <ul style="list-style-type: square;"> <li>Biggest strength: <strong>Field goal</strong></li> <li>Favorite pro: <strong>Younghoe Koo</strong></li> <li>Goal for 2021: <strong>Grow in the weight room</strong></li> </ul> → Real's football journey started in seventh grade. "A friend had asked me if I had ever thought about playing football," said Real, who at the time played soccer and basketball. "I decided to give it a shot." At first, Real didn't know which position to which his skills would cater. "The coaches had put me on defensive end, but halfway through the season, they moved me to middle linebacker while also taking on the kicking duties on the side," Real said, "but as I transitioned into eighth grade, I decided to focus and narrow down on kicking and putting as a full-time position. The junior now starts at Enid High School and is ranked as a four-star punter by Chris Sailer and is the 36th ranked punter in his class. He also holds a 3.9 GPA in the classroom. Sailer described Real as a "good-looking athlete with a live leg." Sailer commended Real's strong punting capabilities. "[Real] punts for a nice combination of distance and hang time." https://twitter.com/daniel_real02/status/1393961061041074181?s=21 <hr /> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #63b9e0; height: 27px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 27px;"> <td style="width: 100%; height: 27px;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">What I wish I knew...</span></strong></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> [caption id="attachment_186211" align="alignleft" width="200"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-186211" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/Redi-Mustafaraj-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> Photo: Northeastern Oklahoma Junior College[/caption] <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Each week, one current or former college or professional kicker joins Prep Redzone’s Kicker’s Corner to provide one tip they wish they had known when they were in high school.</em></span> <strong>→ Redi Mustafaraj</strong>, a kicker at Northeastern Oklahoma Junior College, is ranked a five-star kicker by Kohl's and is listed as the No. 3 kicker in the nation  by National Kicking Rankings. He graduated from Atoka High School in 2020. Mustafaraj booted a long kick of 47 yards at NEO in 2021. "One tip that I wish I would have known throughout my high school career is seeing what the standard for a college kicker looked like. For me, I would go out and kick as much as I could having no knowledge on ball height and swing path. "When I finally started seeing other kickers and learning from them I was able to visualize the standard of what an 'A-Ball' looks like: high and middle through the posts! "This drastically helped me improve my fundamentals and allowed for a switch to flip in my mental game that turned me into a high-caliber kicker. When your ball height is breaking the plane of the field goal posts at the top of the posts, it is such a good feeling. You know the standard, and you know you are capable. Now it just takes more training to be able and do that consistently for the long run!"