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Dispatch

Buchanan’s hard work gives him advantage
Westerville Central kicker can boom field goals, punts and kickoffs
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Steve Blackledge
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
JEFF HINCKLEY DISPATCH

Ben Buchanan is no stranger to practice. Starting as a sixth-grader, he dedicated himself to the art of kicking in all its forms.
Recognizing that he wasn’t blessed with the size, speed or strength of many of his sixth-grade classmates, Ben Buchanan sought out a specialty to call his own.

"My dad (Tim) and I sat down and discussed how I could start working really hard at something now so maybe I could excel by the time I got to high school," Buchanan said. "I had played soccer up to that point, so the idea of kicking came up. Dad said, ‘OK. Let’s find somebody to work with you.’ So we just called up (former Ohio State kicker) Dan Stultz on the phone and the rest is history."
Now a 6-foot, 185-pound junior at Westerville Central, Buchanan is regarded as one of the top punters and kickers in Ohio, if not the Midwest. He attained that status with more than just a strong leg.

"He found his thing and just worked and worked and worked at it," Westerville Central coach Bob Fresch said. "When all of us coaches are at the school on Sundays for meetings, there’s Ben out there on his day off working on his kicking and punting."

But Buchanan is keenly aware that many major-college programs are reluctant to burn a scholarship on a specialist. Even the best kickers and punters often are coaxed into walking on and later being awarded scholarship money. That’s why Buchanan from the outset has trained for the trifecta — punting, field goal kicking and kicking off — and has associated himself with the likes of former Buckeyes Stultz, Mike Nugent and Andy Groom, and former Ohio University punter Matt Miller.

"Kicking and punting is like a fraternity all its own, and everyone goes out of the way to help people get better," Buchanan said.
During the summer, Buchanan excelled in camps at Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame. At the inaugural Buckeye Kicking Academy, he won the punting and kicking competition. In the latter, he made successive field goals of 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 yards.

"Going to all those camps was a great opportunity to show schools what I have and to get my name out there early enough," he said. "I wanted to put myself in control of my own destiny."

In a game against Jonathan Alder on Sept. 8, Buchanan narrowly missed a 61-yard field goal attempt. The state record is 60 yards by former Ohio State kicker B.J. Sander for Cincinnati Roger Bacon in 1998.

"I’ve told Ben that if we’re near midfield, I won’t hesitate trying a field goal, especially since the high-school rules place the ball at the 20 if a miss reaches the goal line," Fresch said. "He has legitimate 60-yard range, and I don’t take that for granted because a lot of coaches have difficulty finding someone consistent from 30 to 35 yards out, let alone with range of 40 or better."

Buchanan’s punting is no less impressive. He is averaging 41.1 yards per punt, and 60 percent of his kickoffs have gone into the end zone for touchbacks.

"It never ceases to amaze me what this young man is capable of," Fresch said. "He’s so accurate, it’s uncanny."