TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

McKibben Relishes 'Kicking It' With All-Stars

BRIAN GJURGEVICH/Highlands Today

Avon Park's Casey McKibben kicks an extra point on Saturday during the ninth annual South-Central Florida All-Star football Classic at Firemen's Field.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Brian Gjurgevich | Highlands Today

Published: December 24, 2007

SEBRING –– Most participants in Saturday's South-Central Florida All-Star Football Classic were hoping to make one last impression on regional rivals, fellow recruits or college coaches.

Little did Casey McKibben know, he'd be making a new friend to kick it with.

Literally.

One of two kickers on the Central squad, McKibben and fellow place-kicker Maikon Bonani of Lake Wales instantly buddied up during the week of practices, and during the game itself, the pair spent much of their time chatting about the finer points of booting the ball between kicking duties.

And, according to McKibben, he had plenty to learn from Bonani, whose booming warm-up extra-point kicks –– a few of which landed on the roof of Sebring's weight room –– showed why University of Southern Florida has already signed him to play football for the Bulls.

"He's got one heck of a leg," said McKibben of Bonani. "He helped me out a lot this week –– I probably increased my field-goal range by five yards this week alone."
McKibben, who noted he's always been more about accuracy than power, said Bonani immediately tweaked his set-up and approach to kicks, and after a few tries, he noticed a difference.

"I was kicking about 40-something yards before this week," McKibben said. "But [Bonani] showed me a few things, and now I feel pretty good from 50 yards."

McKibben handled punts and a few extra points during the game, but it was Bonani's range that was put to the test: He attempted a 62-yard field goal during the second quarter, and though it fell short, the fact that coaches thought he had a chance at splitting the uprights said plenty about Bonani's boot.

McKibben said playing on the same field with such talent was "an honor."

"It's great, because I've never played in a game like this," said McKibben, whose 5.0 GPA (tops among players) earned him a Highlands Today-sponsored scholarship from the Sebring Firemen. "This really is the best of the best –– it really opens your eyes to see what it's like in college."

McKibben, a nationally-recognized dirt-track quad rider, is applying to University of Florida, USF and the University of Purdue, where he plans on majoring in mechanical engineering.

Before then, however, he plans on meeting up with his new kicking buddy, if only to pick up a few more pointers.

"We're going to get together this summer," McKibben said. "Maybe work on a few more things."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT