Merrimack's Reese Lopez, who will be competing in a national showcase in Texas this weekend, kicks off for the Tomahawks during a game this past season. (Courtesy photo)

MERRIMACK – Reese Lopez was listed on the Merrimack High School football roster as a lineman, which the sophomore says he does to help out his team and stay on the field.

But that’s not how he really gets his football kicks.

No, Lopez considers himself a placekicker, and to prove it he’ll be competing this weekend in the 2020 Kicking World National Showcase in Austin, Texas.

“I prefer kicking because it’s what I’ve trained for, really,” Lopez said. “O-line and D-line are just a fun thing to do, to not just sit on the sidelines.”

He was the Tomahawks placekicker this season, and booted the winning point in the comeback 27-26 triumph over Nashua South in the first round of the playoffs last month.

“I’m super excited and ready to go,” Lopez said. “I’ve been practicing recently and they say I’m looking really good.”

Lopez started playing football in the seventh grade, but even before that he’d play two-hand touch football with his friends and punt, and the ball would travel.

So when he started playing organized football, he booted a 25-yard field goal, and was told to stick with it.

This weekend is a chance for exposure more than anything else. There will be about 90 kickers from all over the country on two fields, one grass, one turf, at a private school in Austin.

Lopez had gone to a couple of Kicking World camps, the first in April 2019 in Boston and the latest being this past summer in Medford, Mass. and he was so impressive he was chosen for this weekend’s competition from a camp schedule totaling 1,200 kickers from 22 major cities encompassing 30 states.

The program is owned and run by former Montclair State player Brent Grablachoff, who has paid close attention to Lopez and his progress.

“The first time he was pretty new and raw, but he made a second appearance in July and he showed massive improvement and was super close to earning an invite,” Grablachoff said. “Then he came back in October. He’s earned a Showcase invite but also a spot on the ‘Hot Prosepect List’.

“I’ve gone to three camps, now,” Lopez said. “I think this is going to be very competitive. I know everyone there is really talented, and they work just as hard as I do if not harder. I have to make sure I’m consistent and on point for this showcase.”

The kicking will consist of field goals, kickoffs and punts. On Saturday, everybody will get the same amount of kicks and punts. On day two, each student will get two chances to hit a certain tier, either a distance or hang time metric. Field goals will be a double elimination format on Sunday, you miss one you are eliminated. Due to the pandemic, instead of holders kicking tripods will be used. That way, instead of a snap and a hold, everything is equal for the competition.

“It’ll take a 60-plus yarder to win it,” said Grablachoff, who added the results will be posted about a week after the event.

And there will either be college coaches watching live via YouTube.

“In addition to being a fun weekend it’s a good, good part of the recruiting aspect,” he said, adding his group does a thorough evaluation of each participant, and sends detailed notes to colleges. Grablachoff says since he started the event seven years ago, there’s been about two dozen scholarship offers to participants.

That’s music to Lopez’s ears, as this season Lopez had one field goal missed via a block and was solid on extra points and certainly wants to take advantage of the college aspect of this opportunity. Granted, college is three years away, but kicking at that level is “100 percent” his goal.

“The biggest thing I like about his form is he hits a really nice field goal,” Grablachoff said, “meaning he hits a perfect end over end and it gets up quickly. College coaches look for that and the terminology from a technical standpoint is ‘good lift.’ as the ball rises over the line of scrimmage. … That’s probably his strong point.”

In any event, Reese Lopez is hoping for a good lift to his future kicking endeavors from this weekend’s trip.

The second day of the competition, Sunday, can be viewed via YouTube at kickingworld.com/live.

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