Pressure Kicker

by Nicholas Humble

December 4, 2009 - Standing 6’2” and weighing 165 pounds, Jake Saltalamacchia, a kicker for St. Paul’s, loves the pressure of having the chance to win a game with one swift motion of his foot. “I like the pressure part of kicking. I like the intense kicks, and it’s fun,” Saltalamacchia said. “I have to kick a ball, yet I can be the most important person on the field at one point, and I like that.”

He had the chance to demonstrate his nerve for kicking very early in his junior year. “My first legitimate district game, I think it was 10-10, and with four seconds left on the clock, I hit like a 33-yard field goal to win it,” Saltalamacchia said.

In eighth grade he got into football and played for about three weeks before disaster struck. “Katrina hit, so I had to go to a school in Baton Rouge, and there I punted. Then I just quit after that.”

He got into football once again when St. Paul’s lost their kicker and needed someone to kick for them, so he really did not start playing football until he was a junior in high school. “Junior year, I went to some camps, and that year I started.”

He loves to kick at his home stadium in front of his fans. “It’s my home stadium, and it’s in really nice condition. It was just put in when I was a sophomore.”

Although he is looking to play college football, he is not sure which college he will attend. “I would like to play for Southeastern because my dad went there, it’s close to home and I like the environment there.” At this point, he just wants a scholarship for either of his dominant sports, soccer or football. “I’m looking for pretty much a scholarship for either sport,” Saltalamacchia said. “If a college said I could play both, I would probably have to take that. Instead of having to choose, I could play both. I think that would be great.”

This season Saltalamacchia wanted to get more consistent and achieve more leg strength. “Consistency, I got better with that, and I did get leg power. I had two touchbacks last year and 30 something this year.”

His greatest achievement as a football player came throughout his senior season. “My biggest achievement was that this year there were no kicks run back, and I had two tackles.”

Although Saltalamacchia does his own thing on the football field, he believes his dad has really helped him achieve success. “If I had to pick a mentor, I would say my dad because he helps me out the most,” Saltalamacchia said. “He brings me to all the camps, and he’s the one that says before a game to slow down and relax.”

This very coachable kicker picks up on things quickly. “I can learn and adjust easily. If they say you need to stop planting so close to the ball, I’m easily able to adjust,” Saltalamacchia said. He is relentless and hates losing, and would bring leadership to any team. “I wouldn’t just be a kicker, I would be a leader.”