PLUM TWP, Pa. — It is not normal for a team’s game ball, or belt in this instance, to go to a kicker but for Jon LeDonne’s Pine-Richland Rams, that is exactly what happened following Friday night’s beatdown of Plum. While LeDonne’s offense woke up in the second half, the team was carried to a 19-0 halftime lead on the leg of Grant Argiro.
Argiro, a senior for the Rams, converted 5 of his 6 field goal attempts (46, 44, 35, 34, 25) against the Mustangs with four of those coming in the first half. His lone miss came from 54 yards out which would have been a new career high.
While Argiro’s leg is consistent, the Rams have an explosive offense that usually does not have to “settle” for field goals. But, for one night, or half of football, Argiro felt the feeling of putting the team “on his back.”
“It feels great,” Argiro told Pittsburgh Sports Now following the game. “They obviously get me into that situation and coach Jon [LeDonne] trusts me enough to put me out there so that trust and that field position is really all that I can ask for.”
Argiro’s career-long field goal is 48 yards but on Friday’s miss from 54 yards away, he definitely brought enough leg power to make it but a possible tip of the ball from the defense helped it veer left and narrowly miss. Regardless, Argiro displayed 50-plus power pre-game and stated that he is actually comfortable with yardages ranging up to 60 yards.
“I had the distance on it definitely, they said it got tipped, I don’t know if it got tipped but it was a good try and I am excited to get another opportunity,” Argiro said. “60 [yards] in, that’s what we like. That was about half way up, three-fourths of the way up, I think I can hit it from 60.”
In his free time, Argiro kicks with Hammer Kicking Academy, a program based out of Buffalo that specializes in perfecting the nation’s top kickers techniques. Additionally, the academy helps these kickers get proper exposure to collegiate coaches.
“They really just help with technique,” Argiro said. “Adam [Tanalski] is great. He helps everyone around the nation, all of the kickers.”
With his strong performance on the field and the help he gets from the Hammer Kicking Academy, the offers and college interest are just starting to roll in for Argiro. The first one came back in May from Akron but Argiro has recently been in talks with bigger programs such as West Virginia.
“They came to the field in the spring and watched me kick and I performed well and earned the offer but there should be some more coming,” Argiro said. “I talked to some more big schools. Obviously with the rule change, the 105, it is still taking time to phase in so it will definitely be an interesting experience.”
The “105” that he refers to is the roster size of a college football team. Previously, only 85 “full-ride” scholarships were handed out per team which left specialists in a crunch at times. Now, with the rosters will expanding to 105 “full-ride” players, it will create bigger opportunities for kickers.
Nonetheless, Argiro, LeDonne, and the rest of the Rams are off to a strong start and look to make their third straight WPIAL championship game. With a stingy defense, a explosive offense and a kicker as solid as Argiro, the Rams bring a team that is strong in all three phases of the game into each and every matchup.
