Angiel family gets their kicks at Cache

Over the past decade it has been easy to remember the name of Cache’s placekickers because the Angiel family has provided three kickers for the Bulldogs with Nate, Eli and now Ben serving in that all-important job.

“We all grew up playing soccer and it was not that hard a conversion to go from soccer to football,” senior Ben Angiel said. “The difference is we’ve also been position players and in my case I love playing linebacker. The contact part of defense is something I enjoy.”

While soccer does prepare youngsters to convert to kicking in football, there is a good deal of difference between soccer and kicking the football.

“There is an adjustment going from soccer to football,” Angiel said. “You must prepare for the difference between the two seasons because it is different. You learn what it takes to keep your kicking consistent from playing soccer to football.”

All three of the brothers have enjoyed success kicking and Ben is no different.

“I think the best game I had last season was when I scored 12 points kicking in one game,” he said. “I had three field goals and three PATs.”

While his foot is important, Angiel also relies on others with the deep snapper and holder being critical elements of the team.

“You develop a good deal of confidence with your holder because you need somebody who you can trust to be consistent,” Angiel said. “Canden (quarterback Hance) was my holder, but he’s been out for a couple of weeks and Zac (Abbott) has stepped in to hold for me.

“Kicking involves a good deal of mental preparation. You need the snap to be good and the holder needs to not only spin the ball to get the laces forward, but they need to hold it at the right angle. It takes good chemistry between the snapper, holder and kicker.”

There are other factors as well.

“There are different heights of the tees. You’d think the higher the tee the higher you could kick the ball but that’s not the case. I use a 1-inch tee, which is actually a block, but I can also kick off the turf even though the rules don’t require that in high school. In college and the pros, you must kick off the turf.”

While colleges are always looking for kickers, holders and especially deep snappers, Angiel has his sights set much higher, like about 30,000 feet.

“I got to fly on one of those Discovery Flights and that was something amazing and that’s given me the desire to become a commercial airline pilot,” Angiel said. “Right now, I’m taking three college courses, English Comp I, Algebra and Government. Pilots need the math and communication skills are needed in any job you pursue, especially being a pilot.”

Angiel doesn’t have a great deal of spare time but when he does get a few hours of free time he loves to head for the Fort Sill Golf Club for a little golfing fun.

“I love playing golf; the challenge is something that I enjoy,” he said. “I haven’t played for our school team, however, I might go out this season.”

His favorite part of the game of golf is to swing his driver and while he may not be hitting those booming 300-yard drives every time, he does have a favorite player to try and model his swing after.

“I love watching Bryson DeChambeau,” Angiel said. “I think he is good for the game. I loved watching him during the (U.S.) Open.”

While Angiel may not be an aggressive eater like most linemen, he can hold his own with those big guys.

“I love the steak bowl at Qdoba,” Angiel said. “Medium rare and that packed bowl will give me everything I need.”

While Dechambeau is the pattern for his golf game, one of the inspirations in his life is sister Dr. Meagan Angiel.

“She is older than me, but she was there to help raise me,” he said. “She went to medical school and is a pediatrician at the OU Medical Center. I’ve always looked up to her.”

Thursday Angiel was looking ahead to tonight’s road game at Sulphur, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 3A.

“They are physical, so we have to be focused and make sure we have our assignments right on every snap,” he said. “Coach (defensive coordinator Eric) Gibson is intense, and he wants to get the best out of us. I get the calls from the sideline and then make sure everyone gets the call.

“My job as middle linebacker is to read the guards and make sure I’m ready,” Angiel said. “We know our defense must play well because we have some key injuries on offense, and we need to help keep us in the games.

“We must be consistent, we have to play with a physical presence, we have to avoid penalties, and we can’t turn the ball over. A win would be nice but right now we are driven to improve each week.”