He's known around the
Sun Prairie (Wis.) campus as "The Boat," but that's only a literally and lost translation.
Lukas "Das Boot" Otto, a 17-year exchange student from Zurich, Switzerland, is the football team's star kicker and last week he drilled a decisive 47-yard field goal in Sun Prairie's 17-14 win over defending state Division I champion West (Waukeshi).
Sun Prairie is just one win from appearing in the state championship.
See bracket.
Not bad for a kid who knew absolutely nothing about the game before he arrived on campus a few months ago.
See video.
"The only thing I knew about football is what I've seen in the movies," he told
Wisconsin TV Channel 3000. "At first when I got on the team I was so scared. I saw all the big guys. I thought, ‘oh no, I'm going to die.' "
Instead, the natural soccer player, has been killing opponents with poor field position because of his strong kickoffs. He's also been very accurate on field goals and extra points. In fact, he is one of five finalists for the state's
Kevin Stemke Award, for Wisconsin's finest kicker or punter.
Of 63 kickoffs this season, 46 have gone for touchbacks. He's 37 of 39 on extra points and 6-for-9 on field goals.
"When he comes into contact with the ball there is a different sound," Sun Prairie coach Brian Kaminski said.
At first, the slightly-built 6-foot-1, 165-pound senior appeared to be a safety hazard. "I didn't know if he could stay out because we thought he might get hurt," Kaminski said. "But then he made a 62-yard field goal at practice and that opened everyone's eyes.. ... He has one of the most explosive legs I have ever seen."
The nickname "Das Boot" quickly caught on, however only confused Otto, who speaks broken English with a thick Swiss accident. American kids naturally associate an accent and the word boot with kicking.
Little do most know it's literal nautical meaning.
"After a couple of days, he asked me why everyone is calling him ‘The Boat,' " Kaminski said. "I had no answer."
