Place kicker makes 33-yarder, adding key weapon to arsenal
LINWOOD — Following a 52-0 victory Friday night that kept Mainland Regional High School undefeated at 7-0, few would think a first-quarter field goal would qualify as a highlight.
But after the Mustangs shut out the Absegami Braves, head coach Chuck Smith knew Nate Kashey’s 33-yard kick meant Mainland has another weapon in its loaded arsenal.
Kashey, the Mustangs’ place kicker who has held the job since last year, was untested this season and with postseason fast approaching, Smith wanted to see if the team could count on the sophomore for points with tougher opponents on the horizon.
“It felt amazing because we’ve been working on this all year,” Kashey said. “Big thanks to the snap and the holder and getting it down, and I just went to business. I turned about 45 degrees from the right hash and drove right threw it.”
Kashey surprised even his coach by putting the ball through the uprights with what appeared to be about 10 yards to spare.
“It was nice to kick a field goal and pull out that weapon for the first time this season,” Smith said. “All around, I thought our special teams played well. We’ve been messing around with our field goal unit to see what our limit was on that.
“We knew he was close to his limit but he kicked that with a little extra on it. He’s been kicking extra points really well and it’s nice to see that we have that extra weapon. We may just need that at some point in time. Just to see that he has the confidence makes him more reliable.”
Kashey said he had been waiting all season to kick his first field goal and he’s ready to contribute more to the team that way.
“The entire special teams played great,” he said, adding that kicking a game-winner “always goes through my head but it’s the same thing as a PAT or a 25-yard field goal. I have to go through the same process every single kick. No matter how far it is, it’s the same process.”
Defensively, it was Mainland’s second consecutive shutout and fourth of the season. The Mustangs are now giving up just 4.6 points per game. More than half of to those points came against Atlantic City in a 47-18 victory last month.
“It’s just our mindset every game not to let anybody score on us,” said Stephen Ordille, who manned the safety position while scoring three touchdowns on offensive Friday. “Coach also told us to have pride even though we are probably on the easier part of our schedule. We have to use these to get ready for the playoffs. We know regardless of the opponent, we want to show we are getting better each and every game.”
The defense also came up with a touchdown when cornerback Jamie Tyson grabbed a deflected pass on the run and returned it 63 yards in the third quarter.
“I was playing deep, just trying to keep everything in front of me,” said Tyson, who leads Mainland with six interceptions this season. “I saw the wide receive break and then bobbled it. It basically laid right into my hands when I went to tackle him and I just took off.”
Tyson said the interception leaves him one short of the school single-season record held Billy Kern, who is now an assistant football coach and head baseball coach.
“On defense, we’re just feeling good about what we’re doing and it shows on the field,” Tyson said.
Tyson also scored on offense just before the half, diving to catch a 30-yard strike from sophomore quarterback John Franchini in the right corner of the end zone to give Mainland a 24-0 lead at halftime.
“For our passing game, we just have to stay patient, and I have to stay patient,” Tyson said. “When the other team falls asleep, that’s my time to shine.”
Offensively, Mainland is averaging 37.7 points per contest and showed they can win close and competitive games along the way. In the past two games since a 14-7 win over state-ranked Hammonton, they have outscored their opponents 110-0.
“That’s a credit to our coaches and our offensive line,” Ordille said. “They opened up holes for me all game. You can give that ball to anybody and they’re going to score. We’re moving the ball well right now and it feels good.”
Against Absegami (2-5, 1-3 in United Division), Mainland scored on nearly every possession while never allowing the Braves to enter the red zone.
“This was a complete team win,” Smith said. “Our defense was stifling and put pressure on the quarterback and created some turnovers. Our offense was very efficient, scoring every time we had the football.”
Smith said the team is trying to work more passing into the game plan.
“We’ve been run-heavy all season and we’re good at that but we want to tighten up our passing game and we did some of that tonight,” he said.
Junior Brady Kallen scored his first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter as time ran down on the running clock. The Mustangs added a running 2-point conversion, allowing Mainland to score 50 points for its second straight game. Jake Blum also scored on a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Mainland is now 7-0 on the regular season and has clinched at least a tie for the West Jersey Football League’s United Division lead with a 4-0 record. The Mustangs can claim the division title outright with a win over Egg Harbor Township on Oct. 20.
Before that, Mainland will play Friday against traditionally tough Clearview Regional at home. The Pioneers, who play a difficult schedule annually, are better than their 2-4 record indicates. The teams split their last two games against each other.
“We know that they have some size and they always play us tough,” Smith said. “I don’t know much about them but we’re going to look at film and what they’ve been able to do to us before and be ready for them on Friday.”
By CLYDE HUGHES/For the Sentinel