Cocoa (Fla.) junior Cody Bell kicked a school-record 54-yard field goal last week during a 52-0 rout of Cocoa Beach.
Courtesy photo
Cody Bell, Cocoa
It's one of many long-distance boots he's connected on over the past two seasons.
* Last summer he booted a 55-yarder to win the kicking camp crown at Florida Atlantic University.
* During the 2008 high school season, he converted a clutch 52-yarder to edge Miami Monsignor Pace, 20-17, in the Class 3A state semifinals. The Tigers then nipped Tallahassee Godby, 7-6, in overtime, for the state title.
* This year he has converted 3 of 4 field goal attempts, 46 of 47 extra-point tries and put 36 of his 47 kickoffs into the end zone.
* His career totals are 17 of 26 field goals and 168 of 171 extra points.
Bell’s most stunning statistic, however, is his size: 5-foot-8 and a mere 125 pounds.
No, he’s not on loan from the soccer team. He has been a kicker since his father, David Bell – himself a former kicker – began tutoring him at age four.
“He kind of pushed it on to me at first,” Cody admitted. “Then I started to enjoy it. I’ve always been able to kick it hard. I’ve been working at it all of my life.”
Cocoa coach John Wilkinson says that place kicking is “like a golf swing. He has tremendous torque in his leg – tremendous speed and power. He uses every ounce and then some.”
David Bell, now an assistant coach at Cocoa, calls the art of place kicking “technique more than strength and size. He’s got a nice, beautiful swing. Guys are shocked (when they see the ball explode off his right foot). When I graduated (from Merritt Island, Fla.) I was 5-10 and 125 pounds and I could put the ball in the end zone every time.”
Each day in the off season, Cody kicks 30 balls, does 30 squats, 30 leg curls and 30 leg extensions .
Wilkinson thinks 55 yards could be Cody’s limit, but the junior standout isn’t so sure.
“I think I might be able to get farther – maybe 60 yards,” he said hopefully.