Post by 50yardfan on Apr 7, 2011 21:44:02 GMT -5
TRENTON, N.J. -- Trenton Steel kicker Craig Camay had an idea the kick he was attempting with 10:45 remaining in the third quarter of Sunday’s game with Fayetteville was challenging.
After all, the ball was spotted by teammate Dan Huff three yards in the Steel end zone. The successful kick – 61 yards - set a Southern Indoor Football League record, eclipsing the mark of 57 yards set by Albany’s Juan Bongarra vs. Louisiana May 20, 2010.
“I thought it was 60 yards," said Camay, who earned Second Team Associated Press All-America honors as a senior at Tennessee-Chattanooga. “After I kicked it, I saw it was 61."
Camay, the Steel’s leading scorer with 40 points, having kicked 7-of-12 field goals and 18-of-20 extra points and one UNO, knew exactly how to attempt such a long kick indoors at the Sun National Bank Center.
“It’s funny," said the 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Johannesburg, South Africa. “I was practicing that type of kick before the game. It’s not like kicking outdoors, where you only have to take an effective snap and hold and the rushing lineman into consideration.
“Indoors, the scoreboard also becomes a factor. You have to have a trajectory that carries the ball both over the onrushing linemen and a low-hanging scoreboard. It is a challenge."
Following the game, Camay mentioned the kick, which thrilled the crowd of 3,023 in attendance, also generated several text-messages to his phone congratulating him. Yet, he knows he still has a lot of work to do to get to the overall level he wants to.
“I’ve got to get better, more consistent," said Camay, who came to the United States with his family when he was 12. “Coach (Steel head coach) Miller and I have talked about how, in indoor football, you need to make the 25-yarders as well.
“I haven’t had a lot of those – most of my kicks have been in the 30s, 40s and 50s – and I certainly don’t expect to make every kick, but I don’t like missing, either."
Miller is pleased with his kicker’s efforts.
“Craig is been very dependable, both with his field-goal kicking and with his execution on kickoffs," he said.
Camay’s longest boot at UT-Chattanooga was 52 yards. Kicks over 60, even in the indoor game, are not all that common. The Steel’s kicker, however, now has one to his credit.
After all, the ball was spotted by teammate Dan Huff three yards in the Steel end zone. The successful kick – 61 yards - set a Southern Indoor Football League record, eclipsing the mark of 57 yards set by Albany’s Juan Bongarra vs. Louisiana May 20, 2010.
“I thought it was 60 yards," said Camay, who earned Second Team Associated Press All-America honors as a senior at Tennessee-Chattanooga. “After I kicked it, I saw it was 61."
Camay, the Steel’s leading scorer with 40 points, having kicked 7-of-12 field goals and 18-of-20 extra points and one UNO, knew exactly how to attempt such a long kick indoors at the Sun National Bank Center.
“It’s funny," said the 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Johannesburg, South Africa. “I was practicing that type of kick before the game. It’s not like kicking outdoors, where you only have to take an effective snap and hold and the rushing lineman into consideration.
“Indoors, the scoreboard also becomes a factor. You have to have a trajectory that carries the ball both over the onrushing linemen and a low-hanging scoreboard. It is a challenge."
Following the game, Camay mentioned the kick, which thrilled the crowd of 3,023 in attendance, also generated several text-messages to his phone congratulating him. Yet, he knows he still has a lot of work to do to get to the overall level he wants to.
“I’ve got to get better, more consistent," said Camay, who came to the United States with his family when he was 12. “Coach (Steel head coach) Miller and I have talked about how, in indoor football, you need to make the 25-yarders as well.
“I haven’t had a lot of those – most of my kicks have been in the 30s, 40s and 50s – and I certainly don’t expect to make every kick, but I don’t like missing, either."
Miller is pleased with his kicker’s efforts.
“Craig is been very dependable, both with his field-goal kicking and with his execution on kickoffs," he said.
Camay’s longest boot at UT-Chattanooga was 52 yards. Kicks over 60, even in the indoor game, are not all that common. The Steel’s kicker, however, now has one to his credit.