Niles kicker Liste to play for YSU

By Pete Mollica

The Red Dragons standout led area schools in punting, averaging 45 yards.

NILES — Over the years, Nick Liste has always enjoyed kicking the football at Youngstown State University’s Stambaugh Stadium while taking part is several of the Penguins’ kicking camps during his high school days at Niles McKinley High School.

Liste, possibly the best all-around kicker in the Mahoning Valley, now plans to do all his kicking for the Penguins. The Niles senior has verbally committed to continue his education and football abilities with the Penguins next fall.

Liste led the entire area in punting last season as he averaged 45 yards a kick. He made five out of six in field goals. His only miss was blocked and his longest was 48 yards.

Even a more outstanding statistic was that Liste, who also kicks off, had 80 percent of his kickoffs go into the end zone for touchbacks.

Last summer, Liste competed in the YSU kicking camp at Stambaugh and walked away with all the honors in his division. Former YSU and NFL kicker Paul McFadden, one of the camp directors, called Liste by far the best kicker at the camp.

Liste is also an outstanding soccer player for the Red Dragons and led the team in scoring this past season. He also run track and was part of the Red Dragons 4x100 meter relay teams that placed at last year’s State Championships in Columbus.

“I made my official visit to YSU last weekend,” Liste said. “I got to meet and talk to all the players and met all of the coaching staff and it was very impressive. Everybody just made you feel so welcome.”

The fact that the Penguins will lose their senior place kicker in Brian Palmer through graduation and punter Ben Nowicki will be a senior next season, didn’t hurt in helping Liste make his decision.

“All those things came into my thoughts, but I know that I still have to go out there and work very hard this summer and fall,” he said.

Liste said that he has no problems with either kicking or punting.

“It is just a matter of what the coaching staff wants me to do,” he said.

He loves Stambaugh Stadium and he feels it will also great playing so close to home.

“I know to my dad it wouldn’t have made a difference; he’d go anywhere to watch me, but I know that my mom really wanted me to stay close to home,” he said.

“Stambaugh Stadium is just a great place to play and I’ve always enjoyed kicking there,” he said.

Liste said punting is his “strongest asset right now, but like I said I’ll do anything they want me to do.”

Brad Yeager, Liste’s high school coach, feels that YSU got a real steal in signing his kicker.

“There are a lot of major Division I schools who really missed the boat on this one, and on the other hand YSU really got a great recruit,” Yeager said. “I’m really glad for him.”

mollica@vindy.com