Kicking World Blog

2017 Austin, Texas Kicking Camp Re-Cap

A re-cap of the very talented 2017 Austin, Texas kicking camp held on August 13th at Hutto HS in Hutto, TX. Top performers were awarded Showcase invites...

As always, our Austin, Texas kicking camp did not disappoint. With a field goal competition winning kick of 63 yards, and two close runner-ups hitting from 60 yards, it sure was a doozy!

Outstanding Field Goal Battle
It was the longest duration double-elimination field goal competition in Kicking World history. Lasting just over 1.5 hours, kickers competed from 30 yards all the way back to 63 yards to finally determine a winner. Through 50 yards, still over half of the field of 26 was ‘alive’ with only 1 or no misses. It was quite impressive and as always, Austin, Texas proved it is home to the best kickers in the nation. christopher esqueda waco hs

Congratulations to Christopher Esqueda, Class of 2019 Kicker (Waco HS, TX) on winning the older group (11th-12th grade) double-elimination field goal competition and earning Golden Boot. His 63-yard field goal puts him in the Kicking World record books as tying the 2nd longest competition winning kick which is previously held by a 3-way tie with June 2013 Austin, TX campers (Jake Carter – McCallum HS, and 2 KW Hot Prospects Brannon Satterfield – Lake Travis HS, TX (Alabama) and Eric Piccione – Clear Springs HS, TX (Northwestern State). Christopher joins those 3 as the #2 longest FG in history and only sits behind the current Kicking World record of 65 yards tied by Lucas Havrisik – Norco HS, CA (Arizona) and Hunter Everett – Newcastle HS, OK (Northwestern OK State).

Congrats also to younger group (8th-10th grade) field goal champion Andrew Johnston (Class of 2020 – Dripping Springs HS, TX) and older group runner-up field goal winners who tied at 60 yards, falling just shy of Christopher’s 63 yard bomb – Joanly Martinez (Class of 2018 – McGregor HS, TX) and Hot Prospect Jacob Zepeda (Class of 2018 – Rouse HS, TX).

field goal competition winnersPictured above (left to right): Jacob Zepeda, Andrew Johnston, Christopher Esqueda, Joanly Martinez

john mccormick bowie hsNew Hot Prospect
Congratulations to Class of 2018 kicker/punter John McCormick (Bowie HS, TX) on earning a place on the Kicking World Hot Prospect List after a tremendous showing on Sunday; and several solid outings over the last few years. John has Ivy league grades & test scores and a Division 1 leg to match. At this Sunday’s camp, John routinely hit 55+ yard (in the air) punts with over 4 seconds hang-time, and even a few that reached 65+ yards with 4.5+ seconds, and one extraordinary 70 yard, 4.85 second punt! He strikes a nice field goal off the ground, with a high trajectory and has a consistent range from 50 yards and in. We look forward to 6’3 John McCormick garnering more college interest as he heads into his senior season.

Re-live the excitement and watch the final few kicks of the 2017 Austin, TX Field Goal competition from 60 yards through 63 yards as Joanly, Jacob and Christopher duke it out!

Elimination Competitions
Typically reserved for our Showcase event, elimination competitions are a great way for us to set required ‘tiers’ the campers must achieve in order to continue on to the next round. Because of this camp being such a high level of talent, we added in an extra hour in order to fit these two competitions which help us see who can really perform under pressure, making each kick/punt count, without letting them get into a cozy routine. Congratulations to Hot Prospect John McCormick (Class of 2018 – Bowie HS, TX) on winning the Punt event and Hot Prospect Jacob Zepeda (Class of 2018 – Rouse HS, TX) on winning the Kickoff event. Runner-Up kickoff went to Jasen Zirkel (Class of 2019 – Tivy HS, TX) who was just behind Jacob’s impressive 71 yard, 3.9 second winning kickoff.

View the full August 13, 2017 Austin, TX Competition Results

2017 Showcase Invitees
This summer-ending Austin kicking camp held on August 13th had (4) campers earning Showcase invites! Pictured Left to Right:

  • Frankie Menchaca (2019, San Marcos HS, TX)
  • Jasen Zirkel (2019, Tivy HS, TX)
  • Joanly Martinez (2018, McGregor HS, TX)
  • Christopher Esqueda (2019, Waco HS, TX)
2017 kicking world showcase invites

The above 4 young men from Texas showed consistent performances all day. We are looking forward to seeing them at the 2017 Showcase in Austin, TX!

View the full August 13, 2017 Austin, TX Competition Results
View the camp photos

Are you a college special teams coach or recruiting coordinator needing a reliable kicker or punter recruit? Check out our entire Hot Prospect List for our top kicking recruits by class year. All of our Hot Prospects have been personally vetted by Coach Brent and the Kicking World staff, and they are ready to excel for you.