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Minooka Indians Kicker Signs with St. Ambrose
(Minooka) – The Minooka Community High School Athletic Department is pleased to announce that senior and varsity football team place kicker Kyle Joerger has signed a collegiate letter of intent to continue his career on scholarship at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Kyle, the son of Kathy and Jim Joerger of Minooka, plans to major in physical therapy and minor in exercise science or kinesiology. He currently has a 3.8 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).
“This has been an exciting process,” said Joerger on being recruited by colleges and universities. “Having schools express so much interest in you really provides a boost of confidence and shows how hard work and practice can turn into something special.”
Joerger said that he looks forward to attending St. Ambrose University for a variety of reasons.
“St. Ambrose has a great academic and athletic tradition,” he said. “I am looking forward to being a part of that.”
“I am also excited about having the opportunity to go to school early and train and focus on football all year,” he added. “It will be like being a part of a football family.”
Joerger also expressed excitement in preparing to challenge other teammates for a starting role on the team.
“I’m competitive and I enjoy being pushed,” he said. “At the college level, I’ll get to work specifically with a kicking coach and other kickers, so a high level of competition will certainly be there.”
While the road through Joerger’s immediate future may seem clear now, he admits that being a place kicker wasn’t always in his plans. Early on, Joerger played soccer for five years, and then focused on baseball until reaching high school. It wasn’t until MCHS freshman football coach Frank Yudzentis put out an open call to fill a void at place kicker that Joerger’s plans began to form.
“We didn’t have a place kicker, so Coach (Yudzentis) asked someone to step up,” he said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”
In looking back at high school football career, Joerger points to one memory that he credits as a personal turning point.
“We were playing Marist and I attempted a 52-yard field goal,” Joerger stated. “I missed the field goal, but the distance was there, and I think that was the first time that I and a lot of other people realized that I had the leg to do this pretty well.”
As he prepares to finish his high school career, Joerger credits the support of several people for the opportunity that now awaits him.
“My mom and dad have been amazing and so supportive,” he said. “They have been great.”
“Everyone on my team, my teammates, Coach (Bert) Kooi, Coach (Chris) Ferko, and Coach (Frank) Yudzentis really helped make all of this possible,” he added. “It’s been great to be a part of all that.”
Joerger also offered appreciation to St. Ambrose head football coach Mike Magistrelli for the opportunity to continue his career at the collegiate level.
“I know a lot a high school athletes don’t have the opportunity to do this, so I know I am going to make the most of it,” Joerger said.
While losing a player like Joerger is difficult for any coach to accept, Indians head football coach Bert Kooi is confident that Kyle will continue to succeed.
“Kyle is a quality young man who will continue to have success in football and in life,” offered Kooi. “He comes from a great family that obviously provided a sound foundation for who Kyle is today and will be in the future.”
Although he knows that Joerger is a skilled place kicker (22 of 25 converted extra point attempts and 6 of 6 converted field goal attempts in 2007), Kooi believes that Kyle will succeed because he is a true athlete.
“A lot of people don’t know that Kyle is an amazing baseball player,” said Kooi. “During his high school career, Kyle probably has worked harder at baseball than football, and he was still able to earn a football scholarship. It’s clear that he’s an athlete. Once he gets to college and focuses solely on football, the sky will be the limit for him.”
“Kyle will represent MCHS and our program well,” Kooi added. “He is the perfect example of what we want a Minooka Community High School football player to be all about. The St. Ambrose Fighting Bees are getting a good one in Kyle. We wish him the best of luck.”
Joerger’s accomplishments will be formally recognized by Minooka Community High School along with those of other college-bound athletes on May 7, 2008 as part of the school’s Spring Collegiate Athletic Scholarship Ceremony.
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