There are terrific things that happen during our lives that get started by chance.
People find a life of music as a toddler after being introduced to an instrument at a family get together.
Many young men and women have found a career in coaching after volunteering to help a friend with a youth football, basketball, softball or baseball league.
For Camden Catholic kicker Matthew Kilic, he found his calling during his first year of playing the sport of football for the South Jersey private coeducational Roman Catholic high school.
“I played soccer my whole life.” Kilic said after a recent Irish practice. “When I came to Camden Catholic, I was originally going to play soccer. But I was a little on the heavier side.
I’d wanted to play football since I was a kid. So I thought I might as well.”
Kilic said he was originally going to try out for the defensive line. He said he moving along in that role until one day the coaches asked him to try a new position.
“It started at the end of my freshman year.” Kilic said. “The coaches were having people try kicking PATs (points after touchdowns). And since I played soccer, one of the coaches say to go out there and try it.
“I made one and I’ve working at it ever since.”
Kilic said playing soccer in grade school gave him the instep instincts to be a good kicker on the gridiron.
Now he has hit several field goals in league games from 47 yards.
“It’s amazing actually,” head coach Wayne Gilliam II said. “I’ve said this to a number of people I’ve talked to…Matt is an absolute weapon. Knowing that if you get the ball past the 50 [yard line] just a little bit, this is a kid who can get you some points on the board.
“Especially in our division, we saw a lot of teams that had to go for two because they didn’t have a kicker.
“Just knowing if you score a touchdown, it’s not a woulda, coulda, shoulda or if … you’ve got somebody that is basically automatic at kicking extra points.”
KICKING GURU TALKS ABOUT KILIC
Former Temple kicking legend Jim Cooper Sr., the owner of 5 Star Kicking, a kicking and punting instruction facility, talked about how Kilic’s skills have developed since he started coaching him a few years ago.
"Matt has been with me for about two years and has continued to make steady progress,” said Cooper, whose outdoor facility is located in Berlin, NJ. “He's very diligent about his technique and mechanics and always strives to improve. Like all kickers, as they mature and work year-round at their craft, they begin to hone their skill and work through any discrepancies that could hold back progress.
“High school coaches generally like to go for the six points but I think Matt has proven himself to be a real weapon. Flexibility has always a big key to the success of a specialist and this year Matt’s improvement is a direct result of his flexibility training.
“He has a live explosive leg and have seen him hit kick field goals from as far as 60 yards at camp 5 STAR. He definitely possesses the skill to play at the next level and it will be exciting to watch him and continue to get better.”
THE BAR IN THE KICKING GAME IS GETTING HIGHER AND HIGHER
In an article by Lev Akabas in Sportico, the author talked about the surge in field goal distances in the NFL this year and the confidence coaches have in kickers making long-distance attempts.
"The monumental improvement, however, has been at long-distance kicks. Kickers are on pace to make 251 field goals from 50-plus yards this season, which would shatter the record of 158 set just last year. In fact, in 2023, there were only 230 attempts from that distance."
The competition at the college level for scholarships is fierce as there many great kickers out there.
Gilliam, who is pushing for college scouts to look at his guy, talks about his chances.
“I think he still has the most upside of any of those guys,” Gilliam said. He’s only been doing this for a couple of years….just being a kicker.
“Matt was dealing with some injuries and wasn’t able to kick this past spring. So he didn’t have a lot of opportunities to kick.
According to Gilliam and Kilic, the senior has hit five of his six field goal attempts with two made kicks from 47 yards,
“Matt is the kind of kid that is going to work. He knows what he is up against and will put in the work to get better. He is working every day. With him being a raw prospect, Matt has a very high upside.”
Camden Catholic finished 9-0 for the regular season, but lost to Pope John 42-7 in the NJSIAA Tournament, First Round, Non-Public, Group B.
The Irish have one more game on November 27 against a very good Paul VI team.
Gilliam’s squad won the West Jersey - Patriot League with a perfect 6-0 record.
He talked about some of the players he leaned on during this season and will one more time on the night before Thanksgiving.
“Of course we had senior quarterback Mike Moritz, plus sophomore running backs Nymir Daily and Bryce Clark, sophomore defensive back/wide receiver Josh Collier, senior tight end Sean Welde, junior wide receiver/DB Daniel Leahy, senior Makai Bolden (CB/RB), Freshman (WR/DB) Terence Barnes, junior (LB/FB) Sean O'Reilly, junior (OL/DL) Tristan Owen and senior (DL) Joel Amegatcher. “The list goes on," Gilliam said.
His assistant coaches included Quaashie Jetter, Demrick Cook, Demetrius Hudson, Kyle Dupree, Mike McGrath, Nazir Streater and Waverly Harris.
KILIC TALKS ABOUT HIS PROGRESS
The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder said playing soccer in grade school gave him the instep instincts to be a good kicker on the gridiron. The deeper he got into the position, the more he learned the things he would have to do to have success at a craft that keeps setting the bar higher every season.
“Players are just getting stronger nowadays,” said Lilic, who was named the Courier Post South Jersey Gridiron Gang Player of the Week for Week 5. “We have different supplements and food. People are more just genetically gifted.
“It’s also about the technique,” Kilic continued. “Everything is being perfected compared to how it used to be. People used to be barefoot kicking…now there’s a certain technique you want to achieve.”
Kilic said he has played defensive tackle for Camden Catholic…but only in practice.
“I practice every now and then to make sure I know how to tackle just in case on kickoffs.”
Kilic, who lists Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as the NFL players he admires, said he also works on the mental aspect of kicking in the sport of football. He talks about dealing with being on an island when he is lining up for a kick.
“You just have to kind of zone out from everything else,” Kilic said. “You have to focus on everything you’re doing. You can’t let anything else distract you. That’s really all it is. Just be able to focus on you.”
Kilic hopes his progress is enough to land home for the next four or five years. *
Some information taken from camdencatholic.org.
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com
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