Three weeks ago, it was touchdown or bust for Jordan-Matthews.
The Jets, who were without a solid placekicker, had to weigh the tough decision on fourth downs past midfield of whether to risk a turnover on downs or forfeit the drive with zero points.
But, thanks to an ordinary conversation between Jordan-Matthews athletic director Barry West and one of the men’s soccer players, the Jets now have a back up plan.
Senior Giancarlo Aguila had never played football in his life three weeks ago, but in the short time since, he has become a major asset to the Jets with his instant kicking success. It only took him one kicking session to hit from pro-range, and a week later, he was invited to the highly-rated Chris Sailer Kicking Camp coming to Charlotte in November.
“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Aguila said. “It opens a lot of doors, and I’m learning a lot more everyday about it. It’s fun. I’m enjoying it.”
Aguila started playing soccer at 10 years old, but it wasn’t until his senior year that kicking the pigskin came to mind.
While chatting with West one day last month about banners, Aguila spotted a football helmet, and his interest shifted the conversation towards the gridiron.
“I saw the football helmet, and then, I was asking (West) about it,” Aguila said. “He said, ‘you could be kicker.’ I was interested in that because, why not?”
On Sept. 14, the night before the Jets were shutout by Northwood at home, West brought a football out to Aguila, and he tried kicking for the first time.
Aguila looked like a natural, hitting from close and mid-range on his first attempts. As he kept knocking balls through, Aguila kept backing up — until he got set at the 45-yard line.
Using a water cooler handle as a holder, Aguila took three steps and powered the ball 55 yards to just over the front cross bar.
West sent the footage to Johnson.
“I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t know what was good and what was average for kicking a football,” Aguila said.
Aguila, who didn’t follow football before kicking, may not have understood that he did something that most high school, and even some college kickers, couldn’t do. Johnson did, though, and he gave Aguila a chance to join the team halfway through the season.
“I was excited,” Johnson said. “I had interest before, (and) it fizzled out. But, he showed up, got his helmet. He wanted to kick in it. Kid’s got talent, man. I wish I had him his freshman year.”
Aguila’s new teammates have also been welcoming, especially after watching him hit field goals in his first practice with the team.
West and Johnson said the players have developed a routine where they yell “back up” to move Aguila further back after he makes kicks in walkthroughs.
Although he wasn’t hip to the team’s pregame routine — coming to warmups in his first game without shoulder pads and a helmet — Aguila still made an immediate impact on the field once it was game time.
In his first game against North Moore on Sept. 22, Aguila made his first extra point and kicked all of the team’s kickoffs despite the wet and rainy conditions.
“Before (kickoff), I didn’t think it was going to be much,” Aguila said. “And then, I walked on the field with the noise and all that. And then, I got a little nervous. I go to kick the ball, and I scuffed it. I hit all the way to the right of the ball, and it went pretty far. I know that it could’ve went further if I hit it directly.”
Aguila made his first field goal attempt from 37 yards against Southeast Alamance Friday, providing the three points that kept the Jets from getting shut out for the second time this season.
As a senior, his time as Jordan-Matthews’ kicker may be short, but Aguila’s newfound interest has turned into a backup avenue through which he can do big things after high school.
“When I first started, I saw it as a way to get into college and do the major that I wanted,” Aguila said. “I was also looking at doing soccer for college as well, but this is also a great opportunity for me, and it opens a lot more doors.”
After only three weeks of kicking, Aguila now has the opportunity to show what he can do and learn from some of the best specialist trainers when the Chris Sailer Kicking Camp comes later this year.
Should he continue to fine-tune his technique and hit from longer distances, Aguila may back his way up into a scholarship.