Prior to the start of his sophomore season, Owensboro Red Devil kicker Drew Lanz and his dad practiced at a local soccer field because COVID prevented him from practicing at an actual field but they had to get inventive with no goal posts.
“There were no football fields open for me to go kick at,” Lanz said. “We thought we’d get creative and get some PVC pipe and attach to the soccer goal and practice kicking on that.”
The unorthodox tactic is paying dividends as Lanz is 36-of-36 on the year and is the state’s leading kicker but coming into his second season, the job wasn’t Lanz’s as he was the backup a season ago and converted his only PAT attempt that year.
He said he had a simple mindset for getting the starting job.
“I just wanted to be mentally ready and just get enough sleep the night before,” he said. “Just come out and do my job to the best ability I can.”
Lanz hasn’t been a kicker long as he just started three years ago during eighth grade but he buries PATs like a seasoned vet and said he doesn’t worry about any other time but the present.
“I don’t think about the future or the past,” he said. “Only one kick at a time.”
Lanz has walked onto the field to take the PAT 36 times this season and all 36 times, he said he tries to do the same thing.
“I’m trying to get the ball to the ref, make sure everything’s set up and look where the balls set, get lined up and kick it through the uprights every time,” he said.
Lanz has heard the talk about kickers not being real football players and he puts that rumor to bed quickly. He said it’s been a team effort this season and everyone has stepped up to help the Red Devils to their best start since 2008, when Lanz was just four years old.
“The mental part of kicking is very difficult but it’s not all me,” he said. “You’ve got to have a great snap, a great hold. Ben Flaherty’s had to come in and step up long snapping with our center getting hurt.”
There’s no doubt Lanz’s offseason preparation has set him up for success this season but when asked which way he prefers to practice, Lanz didn’t hesitate.
“It’s a lot nicer to have a real field,” he said.
Lanz and the Red Devils take the field tonight at 7 p.m. at Grayson County as they go for 7-0.
