BELLE GLADE – Jose Garcia has made history in the Muck.
As the first kicker ever from Glades Central to win the Lou Groza Placekicker of the Year, the senior specialist accomplished this amazing feat last night (Jan. 4) in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. He did so when it was a year that any kicker could have deservedly won the special honor.
The competition was fierce, with fellow finalists Chance Gagnon (Dwyer senior kicker), Dylan Liska (Jupiter senior kicker), and Carson Wilt (Atlantic senior kicker) all making viable cases for themselves in the process. Even kickers who were not nominated – Bernie Cueto (King’s Academy senior kicker), Chase Dixon (Palm Beach Gardens senior kicker), Matthew Palma (Wellington senior kicker), Peyton Giersbrook (Boca Raton junior kicker), Andrew MacMillan (Cardinal Newman junior kicker), and Steven Shore (Park Vista junior kicker) – had credible cases to win the top award this season.
Garcia beat out his three fellow finalists and the aforementioned kickers who were not nominated for the Lou Groza Award. This will probably go down as the best year for kickers in Palm Beach County history.
It was just that good.
“Our class is packed with stud kickers,” said Garcia, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 42 kicker by Kornblue Kicking. “We’re all ranked high nationally. All the kickers show immense love to each other.”
Garcia finished his senior season at Glades Central with these following statistics:
•3-for-3 on field goal attempts (39-yarder in 6A-1A Gold first round against 2019 Class 4A state champion Booker T. Washington; 48-yarder and 37-yarder in the regular season)
•21-for-21 in extra point attempts
•Had kickoffs of 68 and 67 yards as his two best ones this season
•Gained his first two college scholarship offers from Florida Memorial and Warner
Garcia spoke on what this honor means to him.
“It means a lot because since I’ve started kicking, it was a dream of mine to be awarded the Lou Groza Award,” Garcia said. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of my coaches and teammates.”
Garcia also spoke on Glades Central head coach Rashad Jackson, who won the Lou Groza Coach of the Year.
“I just wanted to be the best kicker that I could be for my team,” Garcia said. “I worked out two times a day with my dad and Coach Jackson. I really appreciate Coach Jackson for being one of the most powerful influencers for me. He guided me to the right path and showed me immense love to work out every day and get stronger.”
Jackson commented on Garcia’s historic honor.
“What can’t I say about that kid? Man he’s awesome all-around,” Jackson said. “Being the first one to win that award means a lot. It means that anything is possible at Glades Central. If you work hard at your craft, then you can be the best in the county at your position. That kid and his family invested into him, and it paid off. He’s the hardest working kid on the team – period.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Lou Groza Awards, Palm Beach County Sports Commission, and the Palm Beach Post
