Taft High kicker Jordan Dascalo’s business is booming

The temperature is in the 80s on a cloudless afternoon in Calabasas, and Taft High’s Jordan Dascalo is huffing, puffing and sweating as he drags a 45-pound weight, hooked to a harness on his back, up a dirt hill.

Why in the name of common sense is a kicker-punter engaging in such physical nonsense?

“I just want to make sure I’m the best,” he said. “I know there’s another guy trying to work as hard. I have to be better than him.”

On determination alone, Dascalo has brought attention to himself. He’s a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior who averaged 46.7 yards a punt as a junior while making three of five field-goal attempts. He has received high marks from private kicking guru Chris Sailer and ranks as the best combo special-teams prospect from the City Section.

His dedication and passion for kicking came about at the end of his freshman year when he was attending Danville Monte Vista in the Bay Area. He was a quarterback and the team needed a kicker.

“I tried out and it was a hidden talent,” he said. “From that point on, I realized I could do something with it, and it could take me far in life. I started practicing, practicing, practicing.”

His family moved to Southern California for his sophomore year to be closer to an ill family member, and Taft Coach Chris Rizzo has come to rely on Dascalo on and off the field.

“The kid works his butt off,” Rizzo said. “He wants it more than anything.”

Kickers have been known to go off on their own, but Dascalo sees himself as a football player and wants to participate in every facet of the sport.

He even likes making tackles.

“I’m ready to knock someone’s head off,” he said.

During a spring passing competition, Dascalo was on the sideline wearing a backpack and rooting for teammates.

His leg strength is impressive. He ranked among the best kickoff specialists in a spring camp in Las Vegas.

He made a game-winning field goal his sophomore year against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, so handling pressure is no big deal.

“The thing I love about kicking is you get that one moment to shine,” he said. “You can be either the goat or the hero.”

Kickers have always been considered a little different from most players on a football team, and that helps explain why Dascalo charges up a hill in searing heat, considering stamina is not a key requirement to being a kicker.

“Going up and down the hill is something I like doing because it’s not something just to get strength, but it also builds mental strength, because when you’re going up that hill, it gets tough,” he said. “You have to tell yourself to keep going, and I feel that mental aspect builds confidence.”

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

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