Ethan Erickson’s Leg Could Kick Dolphins Far

Palisades High kicker Ethan Erickson talks about his abilities and expectations this season.

If practice is an accurate indicator, one advantage the Palisades High football team should have over its opponents this season is in the kicking game, thanks to the return of Ethan Erickson.

The 6-foot, 170-pound senior was out of action for six months after suffering a stress reaction in the L4 vertebra in his back two weeks after last season ended in mid-November, but after about four months of rehabilitation he started kicking regularly again in early June and has since improved his accuracy and distance.

“I love the pressure, in fact I embrace it,” Erickson said after practice Thursday. “There were five or six thousand people at the Harvard-Westlake game last year and I think I perform best with coaches and everyone watching.”

The Dolphins held almost every team under its scoring average last year and Erickson’s booming kickoffs were one reason why, as his leg produced 38 touchbacks on 51 kickoffs in 10 regular season games. He successfully converted 35 of 37 extra points and made six of his 12 field goal attempts, including two in Palisades’ playoff game against Garfield. An example of Erickson’s fearlessness — and Hyde’s confidence in him — was his 57-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the Dolphins’ 36-35 loss to Fairfax last season. The kick would have split the uprights but fell two yards short.

“Consistency on kickoffs is my strength,” Erickson said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll put 90 to 95 percent of them in the end zone and I’ll hit them all 60-plus yards with about four seconds of hang time. As for field goals, I can consistently make it from 55 yards on a nice field, but if not I’ll shoot for 50-and-in. The other day I was hitting some 60-yarders, so I can definitely do it.”

Erickson is also the Dolphins’ punter and is determined to improve that facet of his game this fall. “My goal on punts is 40-plus yards from the snap with a 4.2 to 4.5-second hang time,” he said. “That’s what I’m shooting for.”

Coach Tim Hyde believes Erickson is perhaps the best at his position in the City Section and knows what a valuable asset that is for his team.

“It makes a big difference when you make the other team go the length of the field,” Hyde said. “Ethan’s a luxury at this level. His one weakness was his punting and he has really improved in that area. He can change field position in an instant.”

— Steve Galluzzo

Palisades High placekicker Ethan Erickson makes five consecutive field goals in practice.