Dario Longhetto rising to a new level
As the time in the game runs down and the scores are tied, Dario Longhetto, Newbury Park’s Varsity kicker, lines up to take the kick. He pauses, then runs and kicks the ball, and it flies end over end: the field goal is good. The Panthers win the game and the crowd goes wild.
Dario Longhetto, senior, has played football for three years now. As a sophomore, he started out on the Junior Varsity team, and during that first season, he was quickly moved up to play on Varsity. His role on the team is to do kickoffs, field goals, punts and extra points for the team.
Scott Ellis, history teacher and coach of the running backs and kickers, has been coaching at NPHS for ten years. He started coaching football because of his own football experience in high school. Ellis has been training Longhetto since his sophomore year and has been very impressed by his performance.
“(Longhetto got his chance to shine when Varsity’s) kicker got hurt and he ended up not only playing a few games but the championship game, kicking a field goal in the mud as a sophomore,” Ellis said.
Longhetto, now a senior, hopes to do big things with his kicking. During the summer, he attended Chris Sailer kicking camps, and they have helped him get exposure. “Because kickers don’t get that much recognition, … that’s where colleges …come to, so they can see everyone and see their potential and see what they can do,” Longhetto said.
In addition to football, Longhetto also plays varsity soccer for the school. Soccer has helped with him train his best attribute. “Dario’s leg strength is the biggest improvement. You can hear the ball explode off his foot,” Jason Klein, head coach of varsity football, said.
The combination of soccer and football leaves him in the best possible position for his leg strength and agility, making him a great kicker.
“He’s got some guts, which is awesome for a kicker. He’s got some courage, and I think that’s one of the biggest things a kicker needs to have. He has a short memory, he needs to have good habits, but you got to have some courage because it’s a lonely position sometimes and I think he knows that, and to not be afraid of moments. I think that is a strength of Dario,” Ellis said.
Overall, Longhetto has had a great season this year and will continue to aspire to get better at kicking in the future with other teams.
“I like the pressure, being the person to do one thing. I like all of it,” Longhetto said.
