Madera kicker impresses at national showcase
For The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Richard Lozano works on his kickoffs at the Kicking World National Showcase in Austin, Texas. Lozano was named one of the top prospects of the camp and excelled in punting.
Back from a trip to the Kicking World National Showcase at Del Valle High School in Austin, Texas, Madera kicker Richard Lozano impressed not only scouts, but the owner of the camp.
At the end of the two days (he left on Dec. 3 and came back Dec. 6), Lozano was named as an On the Cusp Hot Prospect. He also ranked in the top 10 in punting over the two days.
“Overall, I felt like I did good,” Lozano said. “I could have done better.”
Right from the start, the kickers were put into a competition-type atmosphere.
“The first day was a charting day to see the stats,” Lozano said. “In punting, I was fourth overall out of about 100 campers. My best punt was about 49 yards so I hit a 64 yarder.”
Lozano ranked No. 4 on the first day with an average of 44 yards per kick with a best of 49 yards and an average hangtime of 4.11 seconds.
On the second day, Lozano placed seventh overall with an average of 43 yards per kick and a 4.15 hangtime. His longest punt was 54 yards.
Although Lozano will concentrate more on punting at the next level, he acknowledges he can also do kickoffs.
“I was kicking, consistently, 70 yards,” he said.
The purpose of the showcase was to give the kickers looks from colleges and Lozano hopes to get one.
“I haven’t gotten looked at by any colleges, yet,” he said. “I’m hoping to get more looks. I didn’t able to talk to anyone. I was hoping to get scholarships. It does take some time. They told me how to send out recruitment videos.”
Through donations, the only thing Lozano had to pay for was food.
“The team paid for the camp, hotel and the camp,” he said. “It was my first time out of state and on a plane by myself.”
Kicking World owner Brent Grablachoff acknowledged Lozano’s achievements and worked to help him out.
“The creator of Kicking World showed an interest in me,” Lozano said. “He gave me a homework assignment to evaluate me more.”
