Fast, physical & fearless

By John Bassetti

It takes a special kind of player — one who really likes contact — to play on kickoff teams.

Running at full speed on a collision course with another body or bodies isn’t for everyone.

That’s why kickoff and punt coverage unit players are special, or, as some might say, loco.

That kamikaze mentality is helpful in stopping the advance of a ballcarrier, but it might also facilitate injury.

According to a study conducted by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, injuries to athletes in U.S. high school football games are more severe during kickoffs and punting.

The study, published in Research in Sports Medicine, declares that the beginning of a game accounted for 16 percent of injuries, with 54 percent occurring during the middle of the game. The game’s end/overtime accounted for 30 percent of injuries.

“Not only does time in competition affect injuries, but also the phase of play,” explained Dawn Comstock, PhD., one of the study’s authors. “During kickoff and punting, a greater proportion of severe injuries occurred compared to all other phases of play.”

Even if the incidence of injury is greater on kickoff and punt teams, who will man those units?

Look no further than players like Poland’s Nick Heltzel, Boardman’s Dan Fernback, Austintown Fitch’s Dre’lon Simmons and Howland’s Dave Savage, who are a few of those stepping forward to do the job.

One is a fullback, one’s a linebacker, one’s a nose guard, and one is a wideout.

But when the kickoff or punt teams are summoned they all have one mission: seek and destroy.

Are they cognizant of the danger inherent to their duties?

What qualities did their coaches deem relevant in choosing them for the special assignment?

To start, Heltzel, Fernback and Simmons — all seniors — have a common thread: they’re the special forces, Army Rangers and Navy SEALS — all rolled into one. They share a psychological gene that makes them a unique breed.

The best candidates, generally, are inside and outside linebackers, defensive ends and safeties. The prototype is fast, physical and fearless.

To Poland coach Mark Brungard, Heltzel is someone who simply “loves to hit.”

The primary job of the 5-foot-9, 190-pound Heltzel is to line up in the middle of the kickoff team and be a wedge-buster.

“A lot of times, the kickoff return team sets up a middle wedge that runs forward and we have to be the wedge-busters who break it up,” Brungard said. “Usually, that involves a pretty big collision. Nick is a guy who doesn’t shy from that. He’s a kid we always thought relished that chance to knock some heads.”

Heltzel, indifferent to the risk, said he enjoys being able to run full speed and hit somebody.

“Instead of waiting for them to come to you, I like going down and hitting someone as fast and hard as I can.”

He agreed that the role entails an aberrant mindset.

“If you’re not into hitting, then you’re not going to be able to make it.”

Open-field tackling is a job requirement, but there’s a right and wrong way to do it.

“We teach them to keep their hip down and don’t run past the ballcarrier,” Brungard said.

Special teams also afford players an opportunity to get in the game.

“If we have a chance to get kids who don’t start on the field, we reward those who give the effort,” said Brungard.

Heltzel was on last year’s kickoff and punt teams and also saw action at fullback, a position he’ll play again this season.

He’ll also see action as an inside linebacker.

On punting plays, Heltzel is the personal protector for the punter, so he lags behind and serves as the Bulldogs’ last line of defense against a returner.

Poland’s 11-man kickoff team comprises a front line and back row in stack formation. Heltzel is in the back row that situates itself along the 30 to get a 10-yard start prior to kickoff at the 40.

“Everybody in the back row has decent speed and it’s a bigger group,” said Heltzel.

As the back row rockets downfield, the front row trails 5 to 10 yards behind.

“The front line [at the 35] is more safeties who make sure nothing breaks through,” said Heltzel, “while the back guys break the wedge and take out blockers and try to make the tackle.”

The front row usually makes most of the tackles, but a swarming effect by the entire unit gives any of the 11 a chance to get the ballcarrier.

Lowering the hips increases leverage for the tackler.

“It’s better if you’re lower than the guy you’re going to hit,” said Heltzel, who warned, “You don’t want to lower your head.”

What about injury?

“I think coaches take that into consideration before they put the team together,” Heltzel said. “If they’re nervous that one of us is going to be worried about getting hurt, then we’ll not go.”

Heltzel said he played midget football at age 7 in Mars, Pa.

“I started playing for the Mars Rockets,” Heltzel said of his 95-pound team. He’s played in the Poland system since 8th grade.

Boardman

Coach D.J. Ogilvie defines the kickoff unit as “the better athletic kids and best tacklers who can run.”

He believes that inside and outside linebackers, defensive ends and safeties are most suited for the task.

“Corners are smaller and not as physical and interior linemen are not as quick. You want people who might not be starters, but who have a nose for the football.”

In his 11 years as head coach, Ogilvie said he can’t recall any major injuries on punt or kickoff teams, but he did mention two players who stood out in the specialty: Ryan Holmes and Nick Dangelo.

Holmes played at Boardman and is currently at Baldwin-Wallace while Ogilvie coached Dangelo at United.

“Both were undersized inside linebackers, but they were able to play on Fridays because they had an instinct to get off their blocks, then had a nose for the ball and got to the ballcarrier.”

In addition to his starting role as middle linebacker, the 6-1, 195 Fernback will again be on three speciality units: kickoff, punt and punt return teams.

“I like kickoffs. They’re fun,” said Fernback, who doesn’t dispel the “loose screws” stereotype of the unit’s members.

On kickoffs as a junior, he was the third player from the sidelines on the right side of the kicker. Containment was his assignment, but if the return team established a front wall, Fernback’s job was to break it or go for the returner.

“My job was to pretty much hit somebody,” said Fernback, whose hustle and hard work earned him the role.

As a punt return team player last season, Dan blocked a punt against Chaney.

“They had a bad snap and I tackled the punter inside their 5. We got the ball back and scored.”

Potential injury is a reality to be considered, but not dwelled upon.

“Football is supposed to be a contact sport, so it comes with the game. You never want to see anyone get hurt, but it happens. It happens in all sports.”

Fernback agrees that players shouldn’t take unnecessary chances, yet they can’t escape the element of sacrifice.

“You’ve got to be willing to throw your body and accept pain on collision.”

Last year, the kickoff team lined up at its 30 and reached a full sprint at the 40, where the ball is placed.

This year the formation should start five yards closer — at the 35.

Fitch

Coach Phil Annarella said Simmons is most suited for the kickoff team role because of passion.

“He’s an excitable young man, who wants to run down and hit somebody and he loves doing it,” Annarella said of one of Fitch’s five captains.

“It’s important in the overall scheme in any team’s game plan to make a tackle deep in an opponent’s territory and he did an exceptional job for us last year.”

Simmons, who will also play nose guard, concurred that kickoffs are the most violent part of the game.

“It’s so intense and there’s so much adrenaline because it’s the first play of the game,” said the 5-8, 180 Simmons. “That’s when you get the butterflies out.”

He compared kickoff acceleration, which reach 40-yard dash speeds, to one of Sir Isaac Newton’s laws that an object will remain in motion until acted upon by some outside force.

“The guys blocking don’t have as much momentum, because they’re sitting back taking the hits instead of delivering them. The one more likely to be injured is the one who stops and blocks because they’re receiving the blows and can’t protect themselves like the guys running with a full head of steam.”

Despite its potential dangers, Simmons get a kick out of it.

“Whenever I could, I want to contribute,” said the player who was primarily on special teams last year.

The pre-kick yardage covered on foot by the unit’s players depends on the type of kick.

For a squib, the players don’t travel as far because the kicker’s steps are shorter.

On a regular kick, Dre’Lon is instructed to go directly to the ball — like a kamikaze.

Other teammates follow different routes.

“They’re pretty simple instructions, but they mean a lot if done right,” said Simmons. “Usually, guys closer to the kicker, like safeties, contain the ball because they’re the last line of defense.”

When he steps on the field, Dre’Lon said he tunes everything else out.

“One of the coaches tells us to ‘attack like wild banshees’ and that’s what we usually do.”

Halfway through last season, Simmons sensed that return teams were avoiding his side. As a result, his tackle count slipped.

“I feel like all of our guys come with a full head of steam, so you can’t attribute that to just one guy.”

Wrecklessness has its disadvantages.

“You don’t want to whiff on a tackle or anything, so you’ve got to keep your head up and on your target until you hit it. That’s very important.”

When Simmons moved to Austintown, he played for Frank Ohl Middle School.

Previously, he played in the Volney Rogers league for the East Side Broncos and North Side Knights.

Howland

Coach Dick Angle doesn’t think injuries are prominent because high school federation rules in most states differ from those governing college or pros.

“National high school rules don’t allow blocking below the waist,” Angle said. “The block has to be initiated above the waist on all perimeter blocking [anything outside the tackles and downfield], but that’s been in for a long time.”

In his 12 years at Howland, Angle, hasn’t had any serious injuries on special teams.

Good coaching and officiating are factors in what Angle considers to be a good report card on injuries.

“Coaches in our area teach technique: to put the face into the ball and across the ballcarrier and keep the neck up.”

Angle said that injuries occur when players duck their heads, whether blocking or tackling.

“The Federation has done a good job stressing not leading with the head. We teach our kids to ‘bull’ the neck and put their eyes where the carrier has the ball so they’ll tackle with the shoulder.”

Savage relishes all of his special teams assignments, including the kickoff return team, punt-block team, punt team and extra-point block team.

A coach has to identify a kid’s inclination.

“Some kids don’t want to block a kick, but they’ll knock your head off on a kickoff,” Angle said. “Some ballcarriers aren’t afraid to run into a linebacker, but they don’t like tackling. Everybody has a little bit of speciality in them.”

Angle said that Savage’s speed and tackling make him special.

“He’s pretty good at running down on kickoffs and has done it for three years.”

Fearlessness and toughness are intangible attributes needed for the assignments, which require skill players.

“Not too many big linemen are on kickoff cover and return,” said Angle. “It’s more skill guys because you want them to engage quickly.”

Former Buffalo Bills standout Steve Tasker was a gunner, a guy on kickoff coverage with no responsibilities.

“Others will have lanes and squeeze to the ball, but two gunners go right for the ball,” Angle said in describing the position. “Gunners line up at different spots inside the hash and disguise who they are. They’re supposed to wreck the blocking scheme and make the play.”

The 6-1, 175 Savage is also a wideout and free safety who lettered on special teams as a junior. His offense is part-time.

Last year, Savage blocked two punts and a field-goal try.

“He’s good at his craft,” Angle said. “He’s made several tackles inside the 20 and that’s our goal — to pin the return team inside its 20.”

On Howland’s punt “block-it” team, Savage lines up as a defensive end and rushes in.

His punt blocks were against Hubbard and Chaney. Howland was behind, 7-0, at Hubbard which was punting out of its end zone. Savage remembers that the Tigers had only 10 players on the field. Somehow, Savage sneaked through and blocked and the ball rolled to the 5-yard line.

“That gave us momentum and a big boost because our offense wasn’t moving much the whole game,” Savage said of the late third-quarter play. “I was on the ground, but it felt really good. I’ve got a pretty decent reach.”

Howland eventually lost in OT.

Dave’s role on the kickoff team is as a wedgebuster, staying in his lane and running downfield. Three teammates run interference: one on the edge whose goal is to get downfield as fast as he can and two others as contain men.

“My teammates, basically, stay in their lanes and make the tackle. My job is to make sure the return man doesn’t get around the outside corner. If the carrier is exposed, I’ll get him.”

The method is more than meets the eye.

“From the bleachers, it looks like we’re running down like mad people, but that’s not the case.”

Savage, whose father, Tom, played at Warren Western Reserve under Don Charlton in the 1970s, isn’t dissuaded by an injury study.

“I love being on both kickoff units because the games always start off with one of those and the crowds are loud, the band’s playing and it gets you pumped.”

bassetti@vindy.com