POSITION PREVIEW: SPECIALISTS – Sacramento State Athletics

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Main as much as the beginning of the 2021 season on Sept. 4 at Dixie State, Hornetsports.com can have a break down of every place group. Single-game and season tickets can be found for on-line buy HERE.

• The one returning starter among the many specialists is punter Sam Clark. The Australian punted for the crew in all 13 video games in 2019, averaging 39.8 yards per punt. Clark positioned 11 punts contained in the 20-yard line and compelled 23 honest catches in the course of the 12 months. Clark’s accuracy and cling time restricted opponents to only 13 punt returns in the course of the season on his 53 punts.
• He additionally moved into fourth place in program historical past with a 73-yard punt at Northern Arizona. That effort was one in all three 50-plus yard punts for him in the course of the 12 months.
  Clark additionally pulled double responsibility as he turned the first holder on discipline objective and further level makes an attempt in the course of the second half of 2019.
• Freshman Connor Stutz is the one different punter listed on the roster. Stutz graduated from Blanchet HS in Seattle in 2020 the place he was named to the Washington Class 3-A all-state crew after averaging 43 yards per punt.
• Eric Fellenzer, a switch from Nevada, may even problem for the punting job and is a kickoff specialist. In highschool, Felenzer had touchbacks on 80 p.c of his kickoffs.
• For the primary time in latest reminiscence the crew will begin a season with out Devon Medeiros penciled in because the beginning kicker. The six-year member of the crew graduated after 2019 and left Sacramento State as this system’s all-time chief in PATs and ranked third in profession discipline objectives and profession factors. Returner Kyle Sentkowski and freshman Josh Baron will problem one another for the beginning job in 2021. Sentkowski noticed restricted motion whereas redshirting in 2019. He completed the 12 months 5-of-7 on additional factors. Baron is a left-footed redshirt freshman who was ranked because the twenty third finest highschool kicker within the nation as a senior at Vista Murrieta HS.
• The crew may even have a brand new lengthy snapper following the commencement of four-year starter Ian Lauvai. Returner Dustin Cognetti and JC switch Robert Fiene are the 2 most certainly candidates to take over the function. The pair break up reps throughout this previous spring.
• In 2019, Sacramento State didn’t have a whole lot of returns on punts or kickoffs ending the 12 months with 24 punt returns and a surprisingly low 10 kickoff returns. The highest two returners in each classes return to the roster in 2021. Dewey Cotton accounted for 17 of the crew’s punt returns. Cotton averaged 6.8 yards per return with an extended of 24 yards. Pierre Williams was second on the crew with 5 returns for a median of 6.4 yards.
• Opponents tried 58 kickoffs in the course of the 12 months with 24 going for touchbacks and one other 24 being honest caught. Of the ten that have been introduced again, Marqui Johnson accounted for seven returns. All of these efforts got here within the first 4 video games of the season the place Johnson averaged 20.4 yards per return earlier than redshirting.