SELINSGROVE — Kyle Bennar and Spencer Hotaling came into the 2009 football season with different expectations.
Bennar was a captain on the Seals soccer team and wasn’t thinking of football until he heard a conversation between his coach, Chris Lupolt, and the Selinsgrove football coaches.
“They actually came over to soccer practice and I heard them talking about kickers. I said I’d go up (to the field) and try it,” Bennar said. “I went up and kicked a couple balls and they said that will do.”
For Hotaling, also a soccer player for the Seals, he had designs on Selinsgrove’s placekicking job after coming over from the soccer team last year as a backup to Matt Salsman.
“I didn’t take any kicks in the games last year,” Hotaling said. “I worked pretty hard this summer with our kicking coach (Dan Troup). I figured I was going to be placekicking and maybe some other things, like kickoffs and punting.”
Though they took different paths, both Bennar and Hotaling have something in common: they’ve been an underrated part of the Seals success this season.
Bennar has averaged 50.8 yards per kickoff this season with 10 touchbacks. Bennar’s kickoff average is just one-10th of a yard short of the school single-season record of 50.9 yards per kickoff, set by Adam Dively in the 1997 season.
Hotaling has set the school record for PATs with 74 in 78 attempts, including connecting on his last 38 in a row. The previous school record was 55, set by Ryan Rumberger in 2000.
Both said the biggest adjustment in coming over from the soccer team was just learning to get the football going in the direction they wanted.
“That was the hardest thing to figure out how to do consistently, to kick it to the left side or the right side of the field,” Bennar said.
“The hardest adjustment was getting the ball to go where I wanted it to go, from different spots on the field, accuracywise,” Hotaling said.
Like all kickers, Hotaling also has had some adjustments to the nerves aspect of the kicking game. He’s kicked two field goals this season, both in the playoffs. The biggest one came last week against Allentown Central Catholic to tie the game before halftime.
“Ex t ra poi nt s, I rea l ly don’t have any nerves any more. I feel pretty confident on those. Field goals, I’m still a little nervous,” Hotaling said. “I haven’t gotten much practice on that in the game this year. I had one in districts and one last week. That one (last week) was high up on the list; that was pretty ner ve-w racking for me. I think (making it) will probably take some of the nerves away.”
Bennar and Hotaling are glad they made the choice to kick for the undefeated Seals this season. It was a chance to enjoy an outstandi ng sea son w it h f r iend s .
Both played midget football growing up — Hotaling as a wide receiver and Bennar as a quarterback and wideout — with the current Selinsgrove football players.
“It’s fun to get to play with my other group of friends who don’t play soccer,” Hotaling said. “It’s great to be with these guys.”
Their experiences this year have both looking to kick in college next year. Hotaling has received some invitations to some recruiting camps and is sending out videotapes.
Bennar hadn’t considered it before this season, but after discovering his skill, wouldn’t rule it out.
“I definitely have thought about going to college for kicking,” Bennar said. “I think it would be a little easier (than a regular position), and it really would be fun.”
High School Football
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Liz Rohde/The Daily Item
December 11, 2009
Seals get a kick out of this duo
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Seals get a kick out of this duo
SELINSGROVE — Kyle Bennar and Spencer Hotaling came into the 2009 football season with different expectations.
Bennar was a captain on the Seals soccer team and wasn’t thinking of football until he heard a conversation between his coach, Chris Lupolt, and the Selinsgrove football coaches.
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