[osugrad21]

Great update on Ben we received via email:

Ohio State has already made an official visit to Ben at Central High this past May during his sophomore year.
Finally, a note to update you on an incredible day this past Saturday for Ben at the Buckeye Kicking Academy. As you may know, Mike Nugent (2005 Groza winner), Andy Groom (2002 Ray Guy winner), and Dan Stultz (2000 All-Big Ten kicker) were in Columbus this Saturday for the Buckeye Kicking Academy held at Upper Arlington High School. NBC 4 did a short segment on the camp. This was a select camp of about 40 of the best kickers/punters in Ohio and Central Ohio invited by Stultz. Invitations were sent out to kickers across the state and frankly the competition was outstanding due to the star power of Nugent, Groom and Stultz. According to Stultz, the level of competition was higher than some notable national camps. Ben attended the camp as a combo (kicker/punter); yet the final competitions included both combos as well as pure Kickers and Punters. Two competitions were held (1.) Punting- which Ben won 1st place! (2.) Kicking- which Ben also won on a 60 yard field goal in
the final. The kicking competition was especially tough with five other kickers hitting field goals from 55 yards! (Candidly,this was the most talented group of kickers I've seen at any of the camps this year). Ben was the only kicker in the entire camp to hit the 60 yard field goal which would tie the state record set by former Buckeye and Ray Guy Award winner B. J. Sander. Ben hit consecutive field goals, alternating from each hash, from 35,40,45,50,55,and 60 yards along with a final 47 yard spiral punt into the wind to beat the best in Ohio and win both 1st place awards. Ben made his 60 yarder on his first attenpt in the final; the 5 other finalists were each given up to two tries at 60 yards and failed. Even at the end of the day, after hitting well over 100 footballs, Ben's kickoffs all sailled out of the end zone! Winning both competitions I'm sure had something to do with his juices flowing on those kickoffs! Stultz and Nugent made no adjustments in Ben's technique. Andy Groom, however, taught Ben a 'new" punt known as!
the "Ozzie", which is an accurate, end over end pooch punt, with good hang time and it stops on a dime to pin a team down inside the 10 -20 yard line. Based on Ben's All-State, All-District and All OCC seasons thus far, together with his outstanding finalist performances at Penn State & Ohio State National Camps where Ben was a top finalist with the best technique, and now the double win at the Buckeye Kicking Academy with a 60 yard field goal against the best, Ben has consistently proven himself on the field and in head to head competition to be the best kicker in the Ohio and is regarded by some (eg. IrishEnvy) as the top rated kicker nationally in the class of 2008. Best of all, Ben remains humble in his life and relies on his faith to guide him each day.