BRADENTON, Fla. - Rankings winners from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp in the Tampa area on May 5-6.

No.1 kicker and kickoff specialist: Ryan Pandy, class of 2012, Fla.

No. 1 punter: Bryan Kirsche, 2014, Fla.

No. 1 long-snapper: Jeremiah Theus, 2015, Fla.

No. 1 kicker punter combo and punter kickoff combo: Gregory Moss, 2013, Fla.

Long distance field goal winner:  Austin Snowden, 50 yards

Long distance kickoff winner:  Ryan Pandy, 71 yards, 4.07 hang time

Hang time punt winner:  Bryan Kirshe, 48 yards, 4.47 hang time

Out of bounds right winner:  Anthony VonStralendorff, 1-t line

Out of bounds left winner:  Brandon Wilson, 3-yard line

Fastest Snap:  Austin Wilson, .77

Most accurate snapper:  Stephen Kleier (22), Jeremiah Theus, (22)

Talent Search:

Ryan Pandy, K, 2013

Stephen Kleier, LS, 2013

Mac Loudermilk, P, 2014

Bryan Kirshe, P, 2014

Jeremiah Theus, LS, 2015

By CHRIS HAYES / Orlando Sentinel

When Ashley Mosher first took a hit on the football field, she braced herself for a more painful collision.

That's right, she.

“It wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be,” Mosher said.

Amazingly, she only got hit twice in the year-and-a-half she spent as the kicker for the Mount Dora varsity football team.

Mosher, a soccer player for as long as she can remember, just signed a letter of intent to play soccer for two-year private school South Georgia College, located in Douglas, Ga., next year. She joins three other local signees at SGC in Orlando Olympia’s Caroline Clarke, and Groveland South Lake teammates Taylor Ness and Kaylee Woodling.

But Mosher will still have that secondary passion of kicking the other football; that of the oblong variety in a sport usually dominated by boys.

In fact, she says after her stint at SGC, she would likely entertain the option of trying out as a football kicker again if she happened to end up at the right school.

South Georgia does not have a football team. She already checked on that.

“I think I would to be honest,” Mosher said of trying it again. “A lot of girls looked up to me and I like to be a good role model … anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”

She certainly found that out at Mount Dora. Her arrival at the position of kicker for the Hurricanes was certainly not without opposition. It took awhile for her to gain the acceptance within her own household. Brother Bryant, a backup quarterback last season who is likely the incumbent starter this year, wasn’t too keen on the idea in the beginning.

“I asked him first, and he was just kinda like, ‘No!’” Ashley said. “He said, ‘It’s my alone time.’ The time he gets away from us, but then I guess he figured I would annoy him, I guess, like I do at home. But after a while he started to become more protective and supportive.”

The Hurricanes were struggling in the kicking game two seasons ago and Ashley was asked to come in and give it a try.

“When they first asked me to try out, I was a little nervous to do it,” she said. “I didn’t want to invade their privacy. When the coach asked I was honored and I couldn’t think of anything better to do.

“I wasn’t able to play soccer for two years because me and my old coach didn’t see eye to eye and he wouldn’t let me play. I just didn’t want to waste my life not doing anything.”

So she decided to give it a try. And she loved it.

“I’ll never forget the first time I went out [to practice],” Ashley said. “They were all looking at me like, ‘What is she doing here?’ “

GAINESVILLE — Florida punter David Lerner, a former Prokicker.com camper, is one of four finalists for the Uplifting Athlete Rare Disease Champion Award. The Gators' redshirt junior was diagnosed with Crohn's disease before the start of fall camp.

Lerner received the Dick Schapp Sportsman of the Year Award in December. He played in the Gators' first six games, recording 27 punts for 1,040 yards (38.5 yards per punt).

Despite being diagnosed with Crohn's in July, Lerner did not miss a day of camp, although he lost nearly 15 pounds. He won the starting punting job and received a scholarship before the start of the season.

Online voting for the award opens on Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 26.

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

BRADENTON, Fla. – kicker Nick Tankersley of Florida state champion Manatee High School was selected to the Class 7A team on Saturday.

“Yes, pretty happy about that,” said Tankersley, a Ray Guy Prokicker.com camper.

The combo kicker for Manatee was a weapon whether kicking off, punting or kicking field goals. He made a school-record 53-yard field goal, averaged 37.18 yards per punt with only 28 return yards, and had 68 touchbacks on 100 kickoffs. He blistered 24 consecutive kicks into the end zone during one stretch.

Manatee finished 13-2 with losses to the nation’s No. 2 team, Don Bosco, N.J., 22-16 in the season opener and then lost a 24-17 double-overtime decision to Our Lady of Counsel in Baltimore, Md.

Manatee was undefeated against Florida competition and Tankersley was a big reason why.

“He can do all of it (in the kicking game),” said Manatee assistant coach Dennis Stallard. “He’s probably more natural kicker/kickoff guy. He taught himself through what he learned at Rick’s camps. It’s not a natural motion for a kid with a soccer background.”

Stallard was referring to Rick Sang, camp director for Ray Guy Prokicker.com camps. Tankersley attended five camps throughout his career, including this spring when NFL kicker Graham Gano and punter Brandon Fields were instructors.

“To have two NFL guys (at the camp), that was tremendous,” Tankersley said.

Tankersley was a highly regarded goalie in soccer but the kicking motion was completely different than it is with a punter. He was able to adapt after taking instruction from Prokicker.com staff members. “They were able to help me out a lot,” he said.

Tankersley missed eight field goals but four of them were from 50-plus yards, Stallard said. Four of the misses came early after Manatee’s holder suffered a labrum injury and was lost for the season.

“It took us awhile to find somebody as good,” Stallard said. “He hit some huge field goals for us in the playoffs.”

Of his 39 punts, there were only 28 total return yards. His power on kickoff made it tough to score on Manatee High School’s strong defense.

“It’s very, very difficult in high school to go 80 yards,” Stallard said. “We felt like it was a huge advantage. It’s tough to call your offense when you’re at the 20 or inside the 20.”

Tankersley, who was third-team All-State in Florida as a junior, has been kicking since his sophomore season. Stallard is convinced colleges are missing out on a huge weapon by not signing him. So far he surprisingly has no offers.

“He’s been in pressure situations,” Stallard said. “I think he has tremendous potential. We hope to get him a full scholarship somewhere. We think he’s that good.”

Miami Herald

The Florida State-Florida game on Saturday night featured two of the nation’s best kickers, UF’s Caleb Sturgis and FSU’s Dustin Hopkins. Both have been named as finalists for the Lou Groza trophy, the award for the NCAA’s best kicker.

Sturgis entered the game 27 for 27 on extra points, with 21 of 25 field-goal attempts made and a long of 55. The Seminoles’ Hopkins is 41 for 41 on PATs, with 20 of his 24 field-goal attempts converted successfully. The duo is in competition with Texas A&M’s Randy Bullock for the honor.

By KELLY PRICE, Alligator Writer

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Kyle Federico, the winner at the 2010 Ray Guy Prokicker.com National kicking Championship, is sold on his college destination.

The strong-legged placekicker committed to Rutgers University on Wednesday, becoming the first player in Ponte Vedra High School history to verbal to a Football Bowl Subdivision school.

Federico, who was born in New Jersey, chose to go East with the Scarlet Knights. Miami (Fla.), Auburn and Kentucky were among the schools looking at Federico, who is also a top-notch soccer player.

“I feel more relaxed not having to rush around and find a school that I could love,” Federico said. “Now that it’s done I’m going to enjoy my senior year.”

He kicked at camps at Miami, Auburn, Kentucky and Rutgers which, Federico said, was the perfect fit.

“I became interested in it through a couple of family members going to the school,” he said. “I’m originally from New Jersey. I have a lot of family up there. They gave me big interest.”

The early commitment also clears up his plans for his final soccer season. Federico said that with a football plan in place that he's planning on playing his senior season with Ponte Vedra, which is coming off one of its best seasons.

On the football field, Federico’s strong leg resulted in 39 touchbacks last season. He was 10 for 12 on field goals as a sophomore and 8 of 13 last season. His longest kick in a high school game is 50 yards although he said he’s connected from 60-plus in practice.

Federico likes the chances of contributing immediately for Rutgers. Fifth-year senior San San Te is entering his final season and Federico should have an inside track on the starting job in the fall of 2012.

“There’s a really good chance of being a four-year starter,” he said. "That's their plan, too."

Federico trained under former NFL kicker Mike Hollis and his high school coach, Paul Eddinger, also helped him develop his kicking leg.

He said kicking a soccer ball is completely different than football.

“I feel like if you have a leg, you can always get the technique down,” he said.

Federico does both very well. He led Ponte Vedra with 13 goals as a junior, leading the team to the state semifinals.

ATLANTA, Ga. – Austin Hardin, a highly regarded kicker out of Atlanta Marist School, committed to Florida on Wednesday.

Hardin made a visit to Gainesville this week and jumped on the offer by new coach Will Muschamp, becoming the 13^th player to commit to the Gators.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Hardin was ranked the No. 1 kicker in the country by KohlsKicking.com and No. 10 by Rivals.com.

Hardin also had offers from Auburn, Tennessee and Buffalo, according to reports.

His longest field goal for Marist, a private school, was a 59-yard game-winner in the closing seconds of last year’s regional finals.

By Katherine Smith / The Tampa Tribune

LUTZ, Fla. - Jessica Weatherman stood in front of her locker perplexed.

Jersey? Check. Pants? Check. Football pads? Check.

But what to do with all of them, she wasn't quite sure.

"Do I put on everything?" Weatherman asked aloud to no one in particular. "I don't know these things yet."

The world of tackle football is new to Weatherman, 16, and the Steinbrenner High junior's presence on the Warriors' varsity football team is new to the two-year-old high school. It's a learning process for everyone.

"I just have to make sure that the boys treat her the same way and usually after the first day, that will happen," Steinbrenner coach Floyd Graham said. "She's gotten a lot better for somebody who has never done it. She's very, very coachable. I found out that girls are easier to coach because they listen. Boys tend not to."

On the first day of spring football practice, 94 potential players showed up for workouts. Graham weeded out the wannabes with grueling practices. Those with less desire dropped out. By the end of the spring session, there were 68 players.

Weatherman was one of them.

"She didn't quit," Graham said.

And she didn't make the team as a novelty. Weatherman is a necessity.

Steinbrenner recently graduated its first senior class and with it went some football players. Graham had some holes to fill, including punter and kicker. His search would lead him to the flag football team.

Weatherman punted for the flag football team. She also has an extensive background in soccer and plays for Steinbrenner's basketball team.

"She's very athletic and taken right to it for someone who has never been a football kicker until recently," special teams coach Terry Mitchell said. "We had four kickers and I kept three on varsity and sent one to junior varsity. Right now Jess is the backup punter. She's a sprained ankle away from starting."

Tackle football is a new experience, but one Weatherman eagerly wanted to try. She was nervous all day at school on the first day of practice in pads when she would tackle and get tackled for the first time.

Apparently, she had nothing to be nervous about.

"We were doing Alabama drills and she was a linebacker and I accidently ran her over," running back Jake Carroll said. "I didn't know she was a girl then. If she had wrapped up, I would have went down. With the helmet on, she looks just like the rest of us out there. I can't tell the difference. She can hit."

Weatherman's fully prepared for the critics who think girls have no business on a football field.

"I'm not expecting for guys to go easy on me," she said. "I'm sure there will be some who think because I'm a girl, I'm easy to take out, but I don't care. They can think whatever they want to. If someone doesn't think I should be playing football that just makes me want to work harder."

That dose of bravado can be directly traced to Weatherman's mother Dena.

"She's brave," Weatherman's father Wade said. "That's what she gets from her mom. To go out and play football with all those boys on that field, that's brave. That's Dena."

Dena and Wade Weatherman met in jail. That's the story they used to tell people.

The click-clack of heels caught Wade's attention first. Working together for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at the old Morgan Street Jail, Dena's office was just near the booking area and Wade soon found himself making extra trips just to see her.

"She was very energetic," Wade said. "She was known for the sound of her heels walking down the hall, the speed she would walk with. She was a very hard worker, very intelligent. She would work so hard, it would almost embarrass people around her. She was full of energy."

Dena was also the thoughtful one. She didn't just leave money under her daughter's pillow when she lost her first tooth. She included a note.

Please let Mommy & Daddy have your tooth, the first tooth is very special and I know they will put it in the tooth fairy statue so if I need it I can get it. I will use all of your next teeth for my castle. Thank you, love the Tooth Fairy.

Dena was so thoughtful that when doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer in 1993, she was determined to shield the family from any of her hardships. And when the cancer returned, and returned, and returned, so many times that Wade lost count, she wouldn't allow it to interfere with her family's routine.

"She never wanted to be a burden," Wade said.

Her daughter knew something wasn't right when her father and younger brother showed up at Chamberlain High School, ironically Wade's alma mater, during her soccer game on November 10, 2009. The trio walked off the field and when they reached the stadium ticket office, Wade Weatherman broke the news.

"Mommy's not here anymore," he said.

Dena Weatherman may not be with her daughter physically, but her memory lives on in nearly every activity her daughter participates in.

Hours before the Warriors jamboree game against Alonso on May 20, Weatherman pulled her No. 47 jersey on for the first time. She gathered her hair in a ponytail, braided it and then pumped a few spritzes of red tea and fig body spray.

"Do you think it's OK to spray this?" she asked. "I always did it before flag football games."

And finally, with her uniform on, Weatherman grabbed a black Sharpie from her locker and began writing on her wrist.

This was something she did before flag football and basketball games too.

In large black numbers, she wrote 7-28-59, her mother's birthday.

"I saw how some of the girls before basketball games would write bible scriptures on their wrists," Weatherman said. "I figured I'd do something for my mom."