ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR FOOTBALL GAME : Morreale Putting His Best Foot Forward

Kicker Nathan Morreale of University High School paces off three steps, turns to his left for two more giant steps and awaits the center snap.

Holder David Knuff of Mater Dei takes the snap, gently sets the ball upright and spins laces toward Morreale for another field-goal attempt.

Morreale winds and sends a kick over the goal post, over the fence and into a neighboring tree across the street from Mater Dei High, where the South is practicing for Friday night’s 33rd Orange County all-star football game.

“Maybe we’d better move back another 15 yards,” said South Coach Bruce Rollinson of Mater Dei. “This guy is really booming the ball.”

Morreale’s seemingly unlimited range isn’t surprising. He kicked a 52-yard field goal against Tustin in Sea View League play and had a 70-yard punt against Savanna in a nonleague game.

Morreale credits some of his success to playing youth soccer for 11 years. He decided to try out for University’s freshman football team and tried kicking a football for the first time when the coaches asked for volunteers.

“I had never played football, but all my friends were trying out for the freshman team, so I decided to give it a try,” he said. “I wanted to be a running back. I also admired Walter Payton and wanted to be just like him.

“Kicking seemed to come pretty naturally to me. I didn’t get many opportunities to kick field goals that first year, but we scored 287 points, so I got a lot of extra points.”

Morreale was scheduled to join the sophomore team midway through the season, but he broke his foot in practice the day he was scheduled for the promotion, ending his season prematurely.

He averaged four field goals a season for the next three years, but first drew the attention of the Utah State coaching staff with his punting skills. Morreale averaged 38.7 yards per punt this season.

“They started sending me letters my junior year and originally recruited me as a punter,” he said. “Now, they’re talking about me kicking field goals. There are a lot of kickers now who are doing both (punting and kicking), but I think the colleges are looking for specialization.”

Morreale got a big assist getting his scholarship from former Utah State All-American Phil Olsen, who lives in Turtle Rock. Morreale dated Olsen’s daughter and Olsen introduced him to kicking coach Dave Chapple, who kicked for the Rams from 1972-74.

“Dave has helped me tremendously and Phil helped me get into Utah State,” Morreale said. “But my biggest supporters have been my family. I have trouble pushing myself sometimes, but my family has always been there for me. They’ve been the wind beneath my wings.”

Morreale works out daily, practicing kickoffs, field goals and punting. He’ll start with five or six kickoffs, punt about 30 or 40 balls and then try 10 PATs.

“I throw the balls back from the end zone, and wherever they land, that’s where I’ll try a field goal,” he said.

Morreale will be kicking to future Utah State teammates Korey and Kevin Alexander of Valencia Friday night in the all-star game. North Coach Jeff Buenafe of Garden Grove said the speedy Alexanders will return punts and kickoffs for the North.

“I know those guys are real fast, so I’m looking forward to kicking to them,” he said. “But I’m also looking forward to having them on the same team after Friday.”

Morreale will major in communications and minor in business at Utah State. He is enrolled in a kicking camp at Cal Lutheran after the all-star game, then reports to Logan, Utah, Aug. 3.

“I’m excited and nervous about going to Logan,” he said. “Utah is going to be a lot of fun.”