Video: Highlights of David Chappelear against May River
See the senior kicker for Bluffton (S.C.) tie a national record with nine field goals in a game. Bluffton (S.C.) football coach Ken Cribb told his team — his opponent even — that it needed work on the kicking game last week.
Boy did it work.
Senior kicker
David (D.J.) Chappelear tied a national record with nine field goals in a 50-0 win over May River and actually missed two others, one in the final minute that would have broken the 1990 mark held by Dominic Gutierrez of Menaul (Albuquerque, N.M.).
The 45-yard attempt wasn't all that close.
"The snap and hold wasn't clean," Cribb said by phone on Tuesday. "But hey, nine isn't bad."
With three extra points, the 5-foot-10, 155-pound Chappelear finished with 30 kicking points, which broke Gutierrez's national record for most in a game.
Chappelear, a key member of the school's soccer team in the spring, also made a 47-yard field goal to break the school record of 46. His other makes were from 32, 30, 26, 33, 35, 36, 44 and 28 yards. He shattered the state record of four field goals in a game.
Cribb said the national record couldn't happen to a more deserving kid.
"He's so poised, smart and mature," Cribb said. "He's one cool cat — full of energy. He wants to play quarterback, receiver or defense. He's a good athlete but it's never going to happen."
That's because in Cribb's first year as a head coach in 1998, he let his kicker play safety.
"He broke his collarbone first game," Cribb said. "Never again."
Cribb, who made national news two weeks ago by introducing the Meat Wagon package (
SEE STORY), went unconventional again on Friday because Bluffton (7-0) had already defeated May River 77-3 earlier in the season.
After two touchdowns on Friday, the team purposely set up field goal attempts.
"We're going to need our kicking game to click if we're going to make a (state) title run," said Cribb, whose team is ranked near the top among 3A schools in South Carolina. "I told (May River coach Rodney Summers) before the game we'd be working on the kicking game. I think he was fine with it before the game but not sure about after."
Cribb said he learned of the national record in the second and third quarter.
"Our goal wasn't a national record going in, but to just get better," the coach said. "I think we built a lot of confidence going down the stretch."
Short snapper
Garrett Quance and holder
Ashby Cribb — the coach's son — were nearly perfect all night, though there was another imperfect exchange on a missed 32-yarder earlier in the game.
Chappelear has now made 13 of 16 field goals on the season and Cribb thinks he can kick in college. Not bad, considering defensive coordinator John Houpt had to talk him into kicking back in 2014.
Said Cribb: "We tried him out, he kicked for the JV team as a sophomore, and the last two years he's been great on the varsity."
Especially on Friday.
