By Ken Bosserman / newsleader.com
FISHERVILLE, Va. - Those who follow Virginia Tech football know the Hokies had quite a time finding a good place-kicker at the end of the season.
The regular kicker got suspended for getting in trouble with the law, and his replacement violated team rules at the Sugar Bowl and was bussed back to Blacksburg. That left the Hokies scrounging around to find someone who could do the job.
Wilson Memorial's Grant Sauer would like to get into the fray next year.
Sauer plans to attend Tech and try to make the team as a walk-on. That's the way most Division I schools find their kickers, since scholarships usually are not given to kickers.
"I like to think I have a shot," the Wilson senior said. "I will put a lot of time into it this spring and summer. It's a huge goal, but I am going to try to get it."
Sauer certainly has the range. He has hit from 58 yards in practice, and he nailed a 43-yarder in a game his sophomore year.
Sauer, who participates in four sports at Wilson, is also a good student. For his accomplishments, he has been selected as the Green Hornets' winter nominee for the City/County Student-Athlete of the Year award, sponsored by Elliott Chevrolet and The News Leader.
Although Sauer participates in basketball, tennis and indoor track, not surprisingly, football is his favorite. Four of his 10 varsity letters will have come in that sport.
"It's easily my favorite," he said. "It's a contact sport, and I like the kicking and punting. I've been playing it since the fourth grade with Wilson Little League."
Although he has played numerous positions in football throughout the years, including quarterback and defensive end this season, he's always been a kicker and punter. He was all-district as a kicker and punter in his junior year, and again this season as a punter.
Last year, Sauer competed in indoor track, running the 55-meter dash and competing in the long jump.
This winter, he is part of the varsity basketball team, where he plays mostly in the post. The sport is not new to him, having participated in it in youth leagues, as well as AAU.
Since his sophomore year, Sauer has played tennis. Last year, he was at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles.
Although he participates in both individual and team sports, it's the team that he prefers. He gets a touch of both as a kicker.
"You're nobody until you make it," he said.
Sauer excels in the classroom where he holds down a 4.3 grade point average and is currently ranked 18th in a class of 157.
He attends the governor's school, where he takes GIS (Geographic Information Systems), calculus and environmental chemistry, while back at Wilson, courses include AP Government and dual enrollment forestry through Blue Ridge Community College.
That makes for a busy schedule.
"I don't have much time to spare," he said. "Sometimes it's tough to balance."
Extracurricular activities include the National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society. Outside school, he has helped coach midget football in the Augusta County Quarterback Club.
One of the activities of which Sauer is most proud is his senior project through the governor's school. Sauer, fellow Wilson senior Molly Huss and Fort Defiance's Trevor Fisher are working on establishing an endowment fund in honor of Linda Cauley, the retired director of the Shenandoah Valley Governor's School.
"Our goal is to raise $50,000 and right now we are around $35,000," Sauer said. "It's for buying lab equipment, for scholarships and anything the school needs. We've gotten pretty large donations from businesses as well as from parents and alumni."
When Sauer has some spare time, he has taken up skeet shooting. On weekends, he likes to shoot the clay discs. It was his brother who got him interested in it.
"Grant is just a great kid," his basketball coach Rodney Cullen said. "He's a hard worker and has a great attitude.
"He took a year off to concentrate on football, but has really come in and given us an inside force. We can depend on him," Cullen said.
