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Football: Kicking phenom O’Block will be vital to Carmel Catholic’s success — again
Carmel Catholic kicker Steven O'Block demonstrates his kicking motion during the school's football camp in June. Teammate Joe Perrelle is the holder. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times
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Updated: August 27, 2012 6:05AM
MUNDELEIN — Kickers need to have short memories, much like baseball closers.
If Carmel Catholic’s Steven O’Block didn’t possess that trait, he might not be booting field goals for the Corsairs.
The day before freshman football camp started in 2009, O’Block rummaged through his garage and found a small junior football and a tee. Dragging his mom, Jennifer, and younger sister, Christina, along, he headed over to Butler Lake Park in Libertyville.
A soccer player for most of his youth, O’Block wanted to test his foot using a different-shaped ball.
“I wasn’t very good,” O’Block said. “My kickoffs were going 30 yards on the ground. Extra points — same thing. On the ground. I was feeling, did I choose the right thing?”
Disappointed but not discouraged, O’Block bounced back and forth that year between soccer and football.
Before sophomore camp opened in 2010, he came more prepared. That summer, O’Block attended Kohl’s Kicking and Punting Camp in Whitewater, Wis. Surrounded by specialists, he began to grasp the science behind kicking a football.
“It was all technique,” O’Block said. “Once you know the technique, you can keep working on it. Your body gets stronger, and eventually you will kick it further.”
Four weeks into the 2010 season, O’Block was asked to make the kick of his life.
Carmel was hosting Joliet Catholic, with the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) championship at stake. With the Corsairs clinging to a precarious 28-21 lead late in the third quarter, O’Block drilled a 44-yard field goal for the winning margin in a 31-28 victory.
The kick was equally important in solidifying O’Block’s decision to drop soccer and concentrate on football full time.
“That was just a cool moment, the feeling you did something good for your team,” said O’Block, who was lifted on the shoulders of his teammates after the game.
The boot was no fluke, as O’Block finished the year making 70 percent of his field goals, adding 39 touchbacks.
During his junior year, he converted almost 90 percent of his field-goal attempts, with his longest being 48 yards. Possessing strong leg force, O’Block is able to generate velocity and lift the ball high once it leaves his foot.
Heading into the 2012 campaign, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound O’Block is determined to change any misconceptions about placekickers. His coach, Andy Bitto, emphasizes special teams play.
“He’s a team leader. I’ve never had a kicker who is a team leader,” said Bitto, who named O’Block a team captain. “He comes to everything, jumps in on the scout team. He’s in the weight room, running every day. He doesn’t just show up and kick. He’s entrenched himself in what we are doing. This is really unique.”
Don’t try telling Steve O’Block he’s nothing more than a kicker. He already has a football scholarship offer on the table from McKendree University in downstate Lebanon.
“I think it’s a really important part of the game. You can win or lose because of kicking more so than other players,” O’Block said. “I make every practice and work just as hard. I keep myself busy.”
