Elgin kicker Delgado enjoying time with Owls

Kicking in the game of football has made dramatic changes in the past four or five decades as the head-on kickers with the square-toed shoes gave way to soccer players at just about every level.

In the case of Elgin senior Adan Delgado he is now enjoying the game of football so much that he regrets not getting involved with the Owls’ football program at an earlier age.

“I started playing soccer as soon as I could walk, first with the Lawton leagues and then on a travel team that went all over Oklahoma,” he said. “I had played well enough to get to travel to Italy and Europe with my soccer.”

Delgado came out for the team last year after assistant coach Lance Hill saw him throwing long passes on the field.

“Coach Hill saw me throwing passes and he went and got me a kicking tee and had me try a kickoff,” Delgado said. “I was able to kick it down to about the 1-yard-line and he was pretty impressed and that’s when I came out for the team.”

The important thing in kicking has become kickoffs as those who can advance the ball to the end zone prevent kickoff returns. While Delgado hasn’t been able to do that often, the coaches have changed his system.

“I think thus far I have kicked three into the end zone,” the 165-pound senior said. “Now they are having me kick more of a high pooch kick that will fly higher and allow us to get down to make the tackle.”

It is not a skill that is easy at first.

“I use a 2-inch tee and when I want to kick it higher I try to contact the ball lower and with more leg swing,” he added. “I have watched a great many U-Tube videos and Coach (Ryan) Breeze has helped me some. He’s had some good kickers before and knows quite a bit about kicking.”

He also got help from Gabe Dittmeyer who kicked for the Owls for several seasons before grad-uating in May.

“Gabe helped me a good deal when I first started,” Delgado said. “He made sure I was con-sistent; that I had the same routine on every kick.”

With the Owls scoring at a fast pace, he’s kicked a good number of PATs and last week against Elk City he tried a 32-yarder.

“I missed it but I feel confident that if they needed me to kick one, I could probably hit from about 45 yards,” he said. “I’m a pretty confident person.”

When it comes to just being a normal student, he’s already working on a different path than many of his teammates.

“I have a hobby of cutting hair and I want to be a barber,” he said. “I trimmed my own hair and added the highlights. I think that will be a good career.”

He also found an interesting course at Elgin.

“I am taking and Introduction to Agriculture and I have found it very interesting,” he said. “I’m not in the FFA or showing livestock or anything but this class is interesting.”

As one might expect, with his Hispanic heritage he loves anything his mother or father whip up.

One thing Delgado hasn’t had to do is make a tackle on a kickoff return but he’s prepared.

“Football is way more physical but I enjoy it,” he said. “I do the tackle circle with everyone else and if I have to make a tackle on a kickoff, I know what to do.”

One thing he wanted to stress was that the players and coaches have been great in accepting him into their realm.

“Everyone has been great about supporting me,” he said. “Like I said, I wished I had started football earlier.”