By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com
ST. LOUIS – Nick Bartolotta walked away from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com in St. Louis impressed with what he learned.
He also walked away ranked No. 4 in the national rankings.
Bartolotta, a rising senior from St. Louis, made 9 of 10 field goals and punched kickoffs deep and high during an outstanding camp performance. Bartolotta said he has been going to camps all summer – including Kohl’s and the All-American camp – but none came close to delivering the same level of instruction as Prokicker.com.
“By far, Prokicker.com gave me the most individual attention,” he said. “This is the best camp that I’ve been to as far as individual instruction.”
Bartolotta said the professional staff of kickers offered the kind of tips that make kickers better and that they can take home with them.
“My follow through improved throughout the (two-day) camp,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting close to perfection on it. I went to All-American and Kohl’s and they didn’t influence me like Prokicker.com did.”
Bartolotta hopes to put the practice into play this fall for Fox High School where the 17-year-old will be a senior. He regularly pumped kickoffs into the end zone as a junior but didn’t get much opportunity to kick a field goal.
That could change with a change in the head coaching position at Fox, Bartolotta said.
Fox High’s new coach is Brent Tinker, who last year was the special teams coach. That’s why Bartolotta believes the best is ahead in his senior season.
“He loves field goals,” Bartolotta said of his new head coach.
Bartolotta said in practice he’d consistently make field goals from the 50 to 55 range and has even made them from 60 yards out. Two years ago, as a sophomore, he kicked a 39-yard field goal in his first varsity game and also had a 37-yard game-winning field goal in an overtime playoff game.
He was a longtime soccer player and also a wrestler when the high school coach approached him about kicking. Bartolotta was kicking a foam football with a friend when he was asked about trying out for kicker.
“He put my name on the board with a bunch of other kickers,” Bartolotta said. “The other kid was pretty good, too, but he ended up not wanting to kick.”
His mother and grandmother didn’t approve of him playing football at first but he won them over with the 39-yard kick before halftime in his first varsity game.
“After that,” he said, “they became in love with it.”
Fox High’s new coach is Brent Tinker, who last year was the special teams coach. That’s why Bartolotta believes the best is ahead in his senior season.
“He loves field goals,” Bartolotta said of his new head coach.
Bartolotta hasn’t received much college interest but he hopes to change that this fall. He’s also been appearing at camps all summer, including this week’s Prokicker.com camp where he was identified as a top prospect by staff member Logan O’Connor.
“The thing about him, he has great ball contact,” O’Connor said. “He hits it real clean. His kickoffs were good too – 68, 67, 66 and 63 yards. They all went into the end zone.
“He did real well. I was very impressed with him.”
The Prokicker.com staff liked how Bartolotta approached the game and his work ethic.
“He’s one of the best kids I’ve had,” O’Connor said.
Combo kicker standout
Combo kicker Griffin Bins, a rising junior, was impressive as well, said Prokicker.com staff member Matt Reagan, who was a combo kicker himself who made All-American as a placekicker and punter at Memphis.
“I saw enough to think he was a talent search guy,” Reagan said. “The thing with him, he has a lot of raw potential.”
Bins’ numbers weren’t high-popping but the improvement over the two-day camp was impressive, Reagan said.
“He could develop into a good kicker and punter,” Reagan said. “He had plenty of hang time on his punts. Overall he has a real natural form on punting and he said he’d just taken it up. I’m interested to see what he does.”
The camp at Christian Brothers College High School went on despite hot temperatures in the St. Louis area on Tuesday.
