STUART – We have an award-winning kicker in John Connolly.
The Martin County junior kicker emerged on the scene this past season as the Treasure Coast’s best special teams player.
We have proof to confirm this claim. Here it is:
•38-for-40 on PAT’s
•5-for-6 on FG’s (field goals)
•7 kickoffs recovered
•5 out of 7 recovered kicks resulted in immediate touchdown on offensive drives
•New Era Prep Co-Special Teams Player of the Year
•TC Palm Second Team All Area: Offense
Connolly’s successful sophomore season was parlayed into his first collegiate offer from Wright State in the offseason.
Connolly on his recruiting process at this time:
“I currently hold one offer from Wright State University in Ohio,” Connolly said. “Unfortunately, no other colleges or universities are showing interest in me at this time. I’m hoping to get that interest level up with my performance this season.”
Leading up to Week 1 of the regular season and beyond, Connolly made sure to take advantage of his camping opportunities.
It started with the Mercer Mega Camp on June 3.
Connelly spoke on it.
“At the Mercer mega camp, I was able to have conversations with multiple Division 1 schools such as Western Kentucky, Dartmouth, The Citadel, Navy, Kennesaw State, and Memphis,” Connelly said. “Since it was a Mega Camp, I was grateful to have somewhat of a small group of kickers to train with. I placed second in the Field goal competition and fourth in the punt competition.”
Later in the summer, Connolly participated in the University of Florida Gators Gamechangers Specialist Camp. He shared his thoughts on how it went down.
“After the camp was over, I was able to have a personal conversation with the special-teams coordinator of the Florida Gators,” Connolly said. “He expressed interest in getting me up there for a game this year.”
And throughout the summer months, Connolly spent time with 4th Down Solutions to improve his craft in the kicking game.
Connolly spoke on that at length.
“I trained with 4th Down Solutions once a week for 10 years, every Sunday from February to May,” Connolly said. “And then for the summer, I had a great experience with them. I had a great time training with some of the best kickers in the state and Coach Tony Bugeja. I was grateful to be able to train in Boynton Beach and Fort Lauderdale. I was definitely able to hone my fundamentals to make me a better kicker and punter than I ever have been before.”
Connolly on his best moment with 4th Down Solutions:
“For me that’s a tough one,” Connolly said. “On one hand, I’m able to kick off consistently five to eight yards farther than last season, which means I’m consistently able to hit touchbacks deep into the end zone. On the other hand, I improve my personal best field goal distance by six yards.”
What helps Connolly a lot is a specific routine he incorporates into his kicking game now.
“My daily discipline consists of me spending around 30-45 daily doing drills and practicing my fundamentals,” Connolly said. “This helps me to be a very consistent kicker.”
Connolly shared his individual and team goals for the regular season and beyond this fall with Martin County.
“Individually, I’m looking to make 100 percent of my field goals and 100 percent of my extra points, as well as win special teams player of the year for New Era Prep,” Connolly said. “Team wise, we want to win a state championship.”
To wrap this one up, Connolly displayed a good start in achieving his own goals.
In last Friday’s (Aug. 18) kickoff classic game against Seminole Ridge – a 32-10 home win for Martin County – Connolly posted the following statistics:
•3-for-3 on PAT’s
•1-for-1 on field goals
As a result of this, Connolly was selected by our voters as the Special Teams Player of Week 0.
Here’s hoping we see more honors and milestone moments from Connolly over the next several weeks and months ahead.
PHOTO CREDITS: July Sanchez
