MILLERSVILLE — It is arguably the most underrated — if not overlooked — aspects of a football game.
Everybody knows about offense and defense and passing, blocking and tackling.
But here’s an area that doesn’t get a whole lot of love:
Special teams.
If that’s an area you can master — pinning a team deep, field position, kick and punt games — you’re going places.
Special teams are often overlooked, mostly because onlookers take it for granted.
Punt team on the field? No problem. Snap it, punt it. Boom. Done.
Extra-point kick? No problem. Snap it. Place. Kick. It’s up and it’s good. Piece of cake.
Ditto for field goals.
It’s not as easy as it looks, gang.
But when you have an experienced, nationally ranked long-snapper on your side, it certainly makes the punts and the kicks smoother.
And that’s a good thing.
Say hello to Penn Manor rising junior Matt Keller.
He’ll handle the center duties for the Comets full-time this season.
And for the second season in a row, he’ll be Penn Manor’s long-snapper for punts, PATs and field goals.
And Keller’s a good one.
How good?
Kohl’s Kicking Camps for kickers, punters and long-snappers has Keller ranked as the fifth-best Class of 2015 long-snapper in the country.
He’s No. 2 in PA, and is one of just six long-snappers in the Class of 2015 to receive 4 ½ stars.
No long-snappers in the Class of 2015 received a 5-star ranking; Nick Maxey from Arizona currently sits atop Kohl’s long-snapper rankings.
“Matt entered our program with a lot of confidence in his ability to long-snap, and right away, in his freshman year, we knew we had someone with a lot of potential,” Penn Manor coach Todd Mealy said.
“To have someone who can snap, that’s such a critical role. It’s often overlooked. So to have that part of special teams taken care of, that’s winning half the battle right there.”
Keller, a 6-0, 210-pounder, has attended Kohl’s Camps in Wisconsin, New Jersey, Pittsburgh and locally at Manheim Central.
He’s the second long-snapper from the L-L League to earn a spot in Kohl’s national rankings, joining 2012 Ephrata grad Kevin Sollenberger.
PODCAST: KEVIN SOLLENBERGER INTERVIEW ABOUT LONG-SNAPPING NATIONAL RANKING
Kohl’s holds more than 100 camps annually, and according to their Web site, more than 200 prep athletes who attend Kohl’s Camps will likely be playing college football this time next year.
Keller is hoping his experience with Kohl’s — and the results on the field with the Comets — will parlay into a college career in two years.
Chatted with Keller recently about his long-snapping prowess, working with Kohl’s Camps, his national ranking and gearing up for this season with Penn Manor. Take a look: