Merrimack's Reese Lopez finished among the top kickers at a national showcase in Texas last weekend.

MERRIMACK – It was definitely worth the trip.

Merrimack High School sophomore placekicker Reese Lopez had a good showing last weekend in the Kicking World National Showcase in Austin, Tex.

“It was amazing,” said Lopez, who finished in the top 30 in field goals and the top 20 (16th overall) in kickoffs. “I got to see how everyone is really good. Everyone’s not just average, I’m going to have to compete and practice every day, to get as good.”

Lopez made six of seven field goals on the first day of the competition, missing just a 45 yarder. On the second day, he missed from 50 and 55 yards.

“I had the distance, I just missed right,” Lopez said.

Overall Lopez made 71 percent of his field goals, tied with 20 other kickers

, nailing kicks from 35, 40, and 45 from different angles.

On kickoffs, he finished 16th, with an average of 62.29 yards per boot. That was a huge improvement over Day 1, when he had just a 52.40 average.

“I did much better (on Day 2),” Lopez said.

Lopez is on the program’s “Hot Prospect” list, and will look forward to competing likely in the spring when Kicking World has a camp in the Boston area.

“Hopefully I’ll get another Showcase invite so I can maybe perform a litte bit better,” he said. “The next camp won’t be for a little while since the Showcase just happened and COVID has slowed everything down.”

Until then, Lopez will work indoors at a couple of local indoor facilities, kicking into a net.

“Mostly on technique,” the Tomahawks sophomore said. “Technique is really key to kicking.”

In the meantime, Lopez knows he has a future based on what he did this past weekend, adding that Kicking World owner/coach Brent Grablachoff was impressed with the talent last weekend.

“It was a lot of fun, a great time,” he said. “(Grablachoff) said this was probably the best camp he’s ever hosted, nationally and competiton-wise. The best he’s ever had.

“I did better than I thought I would. I’m very happy with how I performed.”

The overall field goal winner was Nick Hernandez, a senior at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, Tex., as he made 89 percent of his kicks, including a 60 yarder. The kickoff winner was Robert Gunn III of Pinellas Park High School in Largo, Fla., with an average boot of 71.33 yards.

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