John Gardner: Former Soccer Player Gets His Kicks in Football
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The Blue Wave Football team did not exactly have the best season last year ending with a 4-6 record. But it could have closed on a happier note with a potential victory over the New Canaan Rams in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving. The Wave was forced to go for a touchdown when they were down by one point in the fourth quarter because they lacked a field goal kicker who could put it through the uprights.
“We would have won the game if we had a kicker,” Class of 2008 grad Jeff Peters said.
This fall, however, the Blue Wave has a new kicker who has already proven himself to surely help out in tight situations like last year’s Turkey Bowl. His name: John Gardner.
"John isn't out there scoring the touchdowns or making interceptions. He only has one job: to kick. However he will be a huge help for us this upcoming season. If we had him last year, we could have finished 7 and 3," DHS Head Football Coach Rob Trifone said.
This junior kicker will, without a doubt, have an immediate impact this fall for the Blue Wave on the football field. Coming from a strong background with kicking, Gardner has already been showing confidence in the new position.
“I used to play soccer, but I really just wasn’t having fun with it,” Gardner said. “Coach T (Trifone) knew that I played soccer, so he came and talked to me about kicking for the team next season.”
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Gardner was tested after the football season during the winter sports season when no athletic team was practicing on the turf field.
“It was harder to practice during the spring because lacrosse was on the turf fields, and I had baseball,” Gardner said
However, over the summer Gardner has fine-tuned his kicking abilities and is ready to make his debut this month.
"From Day 1 of spring football I could tell that John would be great,” Trifone said. "John is a very hard worker and comes to play every day. He's a very competitive young man."
The transition from soccer to football, according to Gardner, isn’t that difficult. He says he has adapted to the challenges of his new sport. “Instead of kicking a soccer ball at a net, I’m just kicking a football through two posts,” Gardner said.
Trifone said he sees the greatness in John that has been exhibited by his predecessors. “In my past years coaching football, I've had three really good kickers who have set records and been awarded All-State honors," Trifone said. "But I expect John to go above and beyond anyone I've ever had before. He has a real talent and plays a vital role in the team."
The added comfort of having a kicker comfortable both on field goals/extra points as well as kick offs will play a crucial role in the Blue Wave's fall season.
"Not only can he nail field goals from 30+ yards away consistently, but he can also kick the ball deep on a kick off to give the opposing team unfavorable field position," Trifone said. "Since our defense is so good, they will tire a lot of guys out on an 80-yard-drive with a kick off from John as opposed to a 40-yard-drive like we would give up last year.”
John will face his first test when The Blue Wave's faces Trinity Catholic High School on September 13, and the home opener against Greenwich the following Saturday, September 20.
