Kendall football notes: Junior kicker Kaleb Stumpenhorst an invaluable part of Oswego’s success

Kaleb Stumpenhorst has his number.

Oswego’s junior kicker takes the field before every game with his holder Devin Mata and snapper Nolan Hutchings, starts practicing kicks from the point after touchdown mark, and keeps going back until he reaches his number.

“We give coach a number: This is where I’m good from that night, there is where I’m stretching it,” Stumpenhorst said. “From there he makes the decision during games whether to kick or go for it.”

Stumpenhorst has been doing a number with his right foot lately.

The long-time soccer player made a career-best 47-yard field goal in last Friday’s 21-7 Class 8A first-round win over Waubonsie Valley. Stumpenhorst has made a combined five field goals over Oswego’s last two games, in addition to his punting and kickoff duties.

A reliable kicker and punter like Stumpenhorst is invaluable to an Oswego team that hangs its hat on defense rather than an explosive offense.

On the season he has made seven of eight field goal attempts, and is 31-for-32 on PATs. Stumpenhorst is averaging over 35 yards per punt.

“People focus on the points with the field goal and PAT game, but his ability to help us with field position and kickoffs making teams start at the 20 is huge,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “He is not always able to put kickoffs in the end zone but in the event that he doesn’t he has enough hang time and loft on the ball that he’s able to put teams back. The punt game is the same way with field position. He has been able to do a good job pinning them back.”

Stumpenhorst got his start in soccer at age 4 or 5, following in the footsteps of his mom, Christie, who played soccer at North Central College.

A soccer goalkeeper, he started kicking for the football team at Oswego his freshman year, like older brother Tanner. He gave up soccer this fall to focus solely on football.

The difference between kicking a soccer and football?

“It’s really just where you strike the ball,” he said. “The margin for error kicking a football is a lot smaller than kicking a soccer ball.”

Stumpenhorst over the summer got invited to the Kohl’s national ranking camp. He’s ranked both a 4.5-star punter and kicker, the 62nd-ranked kicker and 34th-ranked punter nationally by Kohl’s.

He started working with a private coach, Chris Nendick, with Sunday sessions at North Central.

“Week 1 is not the way I kick now. I changed my form so I can kick a better football,” Stumpenhorst said. “I’m more balanced on my feet at the start of my field goal kick. Shoulders are pointing to the ball, he changed that, how wide my feet are apart. I’m opening my hips up more and kicking a better ball.”

Stumpenhorst has fit in well with the rest of the football guys, joining them in the fieldhouse and weight room for lifting.

He’s also fit in well with the brand of football Oswego plays.

“As a defensive guy, depending on the score and the situation in the game, defending two goal lines, if the other team is talking about not just defending the goal line but defending up to the 30-yard line that is huge,” Cooney said. “He fits in well with our team and this concept and has done a great job for us.”

Defending York’s dual-threat QB

Oswego’s defense has handled all comers this season, giving up a total of 70 points through 10 games. It will be presented with a bit of a unique challenge this week.

York is led by 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior quarterback Bruno Massel. A state medalist in track last spring, Massel has proven himself adept both running and throwing it this fall in his first season as a varsity starter. In last Friday’s 37-7 win over a good Edwardsville defense Massel ran for 172 yards, was 11-for-11 passing and accounted for a combined five touchdowns.

Cooney couldn’t recall facing a quarterback this season that is the running threat Massel is, although Oswego has in the past.

“It presents some challenges. One thing we need to be aware of is they have a carousel of guys that can move the chains,” Cooney said. “We are going to have to be in the right position defensively. We cannot be too loose. That is the complexity of their offense and what we’re articulating as a challenge defensively is we have to be prepared to defend darn near anything. We have to be conscious of the entire field. They can hit you in multiple ways and their quarterback is the catalyst of it all.”