Just for kicks: Bobcats’ plan gives D.J. Chappelear national mark

As field goal after field goal pushed his name up the records chart, D.J. Chappelear was truly working without a net.

The kicking net is standard equipment on a football sideline, catching balls as kickers try to stay loose or fix a flaw in their technique. Yet when Bluffton visited May River last Friday, nobody bothered to set up Chappelear’s net.

“They told me there was no point in setting up the net if you’re just going to be kicking through the uprights,” Chappelear recalled.

The senior certainly did enough of that — nine field goals in all, matching a national high school record established 26 years ago. And he nearly had the standard to himself but was unable to make solid contact for a 10th after a low snap in the final seconds of Bluffton’s 50-0 victory.

“We almost got there,” Chappelear said matter-of-factly.

The performance was a night for the record book. Not only did Chappelear’s nine field goals equal the 1990 mark set by New Mexico’s Dominic Gutierrez, three additional extra points allowed him to displace Gutierrez for the most kicking points (30) in a game. In South Carolina, no one ever had kicked more than four field goals in an outing.

And a 47-yarder in the third quarter gave Chappelear the only record he’d ever had his eyes on — the longest field goal in Bobcats history. Jordan Rodriguez held the old mark with a 46-yarder in 2007.

“He’s a pretty cool cat,” Bluffton coach Ken Cribb said. “He’s pretty patient, pretty calm, doesn’t get worked up. And he loves a challenge.”

Cribb certainly was looking to create one after the Bobcats’ first meeting with May River in August ended in a 77-3 pasting.

“I didn’t want it to (become something) offensive at all,” Cribb said, “but we didn’t need to score quick and easy like last time. Then it’s an eight-minute clock (per quarter) and you’re just handing the ball off.”

Last Wednesday, the coach unveiled his plan. Once the Bobcats scored two touchdowns, field goals were the objective — even if a player had to step out of bounds before the end zone.

“They thought I’d lost my mind,” Cribb said. “They were confused. No one had ever heard of that. I’d never seen it, either, but it was a great test. ... This was a team-building exercise.”

And Chappelear’s reaction? “I don’t even remember if he was present,” Cribb said, “just because he was so quiet.”

The kicker’s wheels were already turning, imagining the possibilities. “I was just thinking, ‘That’s great. Let’s go for it,’ ” he said.

Chappelear had three field goals by halftime, blew past the state record midway through the third quarter and hit the 47-yarder for No. 6. The seventh came just before the end of the third.

Then it was just a matter of whether the Bobcats could give him enough chances. No. 8 came with 8:35 left, a 44-yarder. A 26-yard chip shot with 3:39 left gave him a share of the record. And then it was up to the defense.

“What a great scenario,” Cribb said, thinking ahead to the team’s almost certain playoff run. “Get a stop and get the ball back to kick a long field goal in the event (a game) was tied or we were behind. That was exciting.”

It all came together — until the bad snap at the end. No matter.

“One thing’s for sure now,” Cribb said. “We’ve got confidence in our kicker.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 8:27 PM with the headline "Just for kicks: Bobcats’ plan gives D.J. Chappelear national mark."