Barons’ senior kicker chats about Central’s special special teams

If you know anything at all about Manheim Central football – besides all the championships and famous players that have walked through the doors – then you know the Barons have always excelled in special teams.

Seems like Central always feasts on short fields, doesn’t it?

That has a lot to do with the kicking department, and in senior Taylor Groff, the Barons have one of the top kickers in the L-L League this season.

Groff has been nearly perfect for Central, which is 5-0 in Section 2 and 8-0 overall heading into Friday’s home game against Lebanon.

In the seven games in which he’s appeared, Groff has made 29-of-30 extra point attempts and he’s drilled – get this – all seven field goals he’s attempted this season, including two in the Barons’ 27-0 mud-caked win at Elizabethtown last Friday night.

Groff’s seven field goals – which include game-winners against Wilson in Week 2 and Cocalico in Week 4 – are the most in the league. His longest was the 40-yarder he nailed with time running out in Central’s 17-14 come-from-behind thriller against Cocalico.

When Central lost Justin Myer to Virginia Tech following last season, there might have been some question marks surrounding the Barons’ kicking game.

Groff, who also plays soccer for the Barons, has answered them – in a big, big way.

“Taylor is a weapon and we count on him a lot,” Central coach Mike Williams said. “He’s so accurate … he’s only missed one extra point and he hasn’t missed a field goal this season. What a weapon. Taylor is a great kid because he goes back and forth from soccer to football and he does the best he can for both coaches and both teams. Kicking-wise and character-wise he’s made sacrifices for both teams. He’s the kind of kid who has the strong desire to be good and he’ll work and work and work at it. When you have a guy like Taylor … you have to smile when you know you have a weapon like that who’s so, so good.”

Groff spent a ton of time this past off-season working out with Myer, former Central punter Jeff Strait (who is at UMass) and Barons’ kicking coach John Phillips, who was an outstanding kicker in his days with Central.

I caught up with Groff after the Barons’ muddy, sloppy, soaking-wet win over Elizabethtown last Friday night. We chatted about his kicking prowess, about the pressures of kicking for the Barons, about his game-winners this season and about Central’s goals for the rest of this season.

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

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