| RI kicker Reda definitely worth watching
By Marc Nesseler, Sports editor
November 19, 2002 11:23 PM
Tucked amid a smattering of Rock Island football fans on the home Crystal Lake side
because the stands for Rocky fans were overflowing, Kim Reda couldn't bear to watch.
With her son, Jason Reda, lining up for a 50-yard field goal with 2:16 left and the
Rocks clinging to a 14-8 lead in Saturday's Class 6A quarterfinal, Kim covered her eyes
and closed her ears.
Too bad for both. Had she watched, she'd have burst with pride. Had she listened, she
might have gotten a chuckle out of the reaction from the Crystal Lake fans around her.
Gator fans chuckled, they snickered, they guffawed. A high-school kid kicking a
50-yarder? Rock Island couldn't be serious.
However, when Reda's kick soared through the end zone, just left of the goal post and
narrowly missing a game-clinching three-pointer, Crystal Lake's fans learned what Rock
Island's already knew.
Still with a year left in high school, this is a kicker seriously worth watching.
``He's a pretty cool cucumber,'' RI coach Vic Boblett said of Reda. ``He has such a
critical role for this team.''
Against Crystal Lake, he had punts that left the Gators twice at the 14-yard line and
once at the 5. Though he missed the field goal, it still forced the hosts to go 80 yards
for a tying score. Their drive ended 46 yards later with an interception, sending the
Rocks to the 6A semifinals.
In Reda, the Rocks possess a unique commodity. He's likely the only THREE-TIME
all-conference performer in a single season. Not only was he the Western Big 6's
first-team all-conference punter and kicker, he also was the Big 6's first-team
all-conference soccer defender.
In 2001, he was all-Big 6 in soccer and as a football kicker.
``Defending in soccer helps more with the kicking in football,'' Reda said. ``A goalie
would be more like punting.''
Though he's a valuable scorer with field goals -- he's kicked three, his longest being
42 yards -- and he pins defenses back with his booming punts and kickoffs into the end
zone, Reda considers himself as offensive as defensive on the gridiron.
``It's kind of in the middle,'' he said. ``I help out both sides.''
On Saturday, he even helped out in another way. He and his volunteer kicking coach, Cam
Torres, always stay on the field during halftime. When the intermission clock hit 0:00
Saturday, the rest of the Rocks weren't on the field from the locker room. Yet, they
avoided a penalty because of Reda's presence. One was enough to do so.
If there's one game that stands out in Reda's mind, it's the second playoff game this
season, a 31-26 win over Rockford Boylan. Shanking a 5-yard punt, it was his motivation
for excellence in the quarterfinals.
``That pumped me up even more. When I get angry, I just want to do better,'' said Reda.
``And that punt really made me angry. I know I'm better than that.''
Ironically, that punt came on the same day as the all-conference announcement. ``As
long as the vote came before that game,'' chuckled Reda. ``Otherwise, they might have
asked for a recount.''
As he recounts his successful junior season, connecting on 37 of 40 point-after
attempts, Reda quickly notes the importance of his senior kicking complement, holder Chase
Stephens.
``That's a big position he has. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be anything,'' Reda
said of Stephens. ``We have a lot of trust between us. In fact, there are a lot of times
that I kick his fingers.''
Whether Stephens gets to hold another attempt at a school record-tying 50-yarder on
this playoff run remains to be seen. If Reda does get another chance, though, Rocky fans
sitting near Kim Reda might want to nudge her to sneak a little peek.
Copyright 2001, Moline Dispatch
Publishing Co. |
