South Brunswick kicker, and Rutgers signee, Jai Patel. (Source: Twitter)
Practice makes perfect.
And that’s never been truer for anyone than Jai Patel of South Brunswick.
The Rutgers-bound Viking senior never missed a PAT in his high school career, kicking 78 extra points on 78 attempts. Rarely at this level is an extra point a sure thing, but with Patel it was.
And that’s why he’s Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Special Teams Player of the Year for 2021, a year after he picked up honorable mention honors in the same category.
His season long field goals the past two years also have been in the 40s, meaning Greg Schiano will be adding to his reliable kicking game when Patel heads into preseason camp this summer.
But Patel says all that practice effort wasn’t just him. It’s also a lot of hard work from his teammates, blocking, snapping and holding, as he tells Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dom Savino.
Click below to listen:
Special teams honorable mentions included James Scorba of Westfield, Liam Godwin of Cranford, and Liam Quigley of Governor Livingston.
Scorba – a senior punter – had an average of 35 yards on his kicks, nailing 12 inside the 20-yard line, and converting 3-for-3 on first down runs. He helped the Blue Devils – with an outstanding defense – control the field position game all year long, as opponents never got more than a ten-yard return against him.
Godwin, a junior kicker for the Cougars, was 54-of-56 on PATs, and 3-of-3 on field goals. He averaged 39 yards per punt, and was successful three times on fake punts for first downs.
Quigley was the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week for Week 9, kicking a game-winning field goal against A.L. Johnson to give the Highlanders their first and only win of the season. He was 3-of-4 on field goals during the year, and 11-of-11 on PATs.