Kicking it into high gear

Tim Kiefer would have never thought he’d see the day a kicker would play a deciding role in a Lakeland High School football game.

Until John Novak came around three years ago, Lakeland’s method of picking a kicker was to hold a one-day tryout to see who could kick the farthest.

Novak has been a breath of fresh air in many ways. When Lakeland broke through and earned its first 4A state playoff berth last year – and first since 2002 – in a wild 27-26 come-from-behind win at Sandpoint, Novak provided the difference.

“It won the game for us,” Kiefer, Lakeland’s head coach, said matter-of-factly. “We wouldn’t have won without it.”

The left-footed Novak kicked two field goals in the win before a raucous crowd of 1,600 at Sandpoint. The first, a 32-yard boot, pulled the Hawks to 26-24 with 5:53 remaining. His second, a 19-yard chip shot, moved Lakeland ahead 27-26 with 2:24 to go.

A well-placed pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff following his first field goal proved as pivotal as his field goals. The kick bounded near Lakeland’s sideline, where linebacker Shawn Hiebert smacked a Sandpoint returner, forcing a fumble the Hawks recovered at the Bulldogs’ 22-yard line.

“His pooch kick was where it needed to be so we could make a play,” Kiefer said.

Novak also is Lakeland’s punter, and he’s done that effectively, too.

“Seldom are all three of those elements – placekicking, kickoffs and punting – available with the same kid,” Kiefer said. “It makes me not want to go back to where it was before, which was limping along at best.”

Novak, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior, got his kicking start as one might be able to guess – playing soccer.

From fifth grade through junior high, Novak played primarily defender and was generally placed on the left side of the field, hence the development, he said, of his left-foot kicking.

“I actually do everything else right-handed,” Novak explained. “I’m weird, I guess.”

When he reached junior high, though, Novak decided he wanted to try another sport. So he played junior tackle football, and that’s when he got to thinking: What if kicking could pay his way to college?

He has attended three camps at Central Valley High School put on by ex-Bears, University of Idaho and NFL kicker Mike Hollis.

“Those were smaller camps, and you got a lot of one-on-one instruction,” Novak said.

Last summer he attended a camp in Las Vegas that was more of a competition camp than an instructional camp. About 200 attended the camp.

Novak is attracting attention from colleges. He’s made unofficial visits to Oregon State and Idaho.

He’s been almost automatic on extra-point attempts. He made 8 of 12 field goal attempts last year and has made his two attempts this season.

Novak took on an expanded role this year. He played briefly in a game last year at linebacker. Since Lakeland graduated all of its starters at linebacker, Novak thought the door would be open.

“I remember watching him play last year, and I had penciled him in at linebacker in my mind,” Kiefer said.

Novak, who is a leader in the classroom with a 3.73 grade-point average, won the starting job at middle linebacker.

“I might not be the hardest hitter in the world, but I like hitting people,” Novak said.

He suffered a hip flexor injury in the third quarter of Lakeland’s second game and had to miss the game last Friday at Timberlake.

He will probably sit out this week and return next week.

“We want him 100 percent when he comes back because we need him most for the games down the line,” Kiefer said. “He’s played well. He’s a very smart player.”

Kiefer said if people walked into Lakeland’s weight room and were to pick the team’s middle linebacker out of a crowd, Novak would likely be the last person chosen.

“He’s deceiving to look at,” Kiefer said. “He still has some baby fat. My only knock on him is he’s too quiet. This team needs vocal leaders, and he needs to be more vocal.”

Novak was used for a handful of plays at fullback. Once he returns, Kiefer expects to use him on both sides of the ball.

“I’m convinced we’d use him on 10 plays a game at running back,” Kiefer said. “But our primary need for him is a position player on defense.”

Kiefer appreciates Novak’s impact, especially as a kicker.

“He’s put a lot of hard work into kicking,” Kiefer said. “It’s not something that happens overnight.”

Kiefer is comfortable having Novak kick anywhere inside the 40. He’s made attempts from 57 and 56 yards in practice and was off the mark on a 53-yard attempt last year at Sandpoint.

Lakeland opened with back-to-back losses before beating Timberlake 28-22 last Friday.

Novak believes Lakeland can get back to the state playoffs.

“We’re capable of being a really good team, but we haven’t put it together yet,” Novak said. “I think things will come together.”