A leg up: Wasilla senior kicker is giving the Warriors a boost

Aug. 25, 2006

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - The rain was pouring, the wind was blowing and Veterans Memorial Field was little more than 100 yards of mud.

That spells disaster for a kicker, right?

It didn't for Wasilla High School senior Vladimir Dahl.

Facing conditions that even Adam Vinatieri would be concerned about, Dahl - with a rush of confidence and a strong left leg - sent the football shooting 40 yards through the rain, wind and eventually the uprights. The kick, which could have easily gone 46 or 47 yards, proved to be the difference in Wasilla's 9-7 win over West Valley last week, the Warriors' first victory in more than a year.

While the words impact and kicker are not normally used in the same sentence when it comes to high school football in Alaska, just months after learning how to kick a football, Dahl is establishing himself as a truly special, special teams player. With three field goals of 36 yards or better in the first two weeks of the season, Dahl is making a name for himself, as an impact kicker.

In his first attempt of the season, and his career, Dahl, also a soccer player at WHS, put a 42-yarder through the uprights in the first half of a 33-27 loss to Kodiak. He added a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter.

&#8220That's long for high school, but also even long for college,” Wasilla boys soccer head coach Blake Livingston said.

Born in Russia, Dahl has participated in soccer for much of his life. He played for the final four years he lived in Russia, and continued playing after he immigrated to Alaska. Dahl, who has American parents, said his father routinely asked him if he'd be interested in trying football.

&#8220My dad talked to me about it. He said I might be good at football,” Dahl said. &#8220He encouraged me to kick.”

During the spring of his junior year, Dahl approached Livingston, who kicked for the Palmer football program in high school and a little at the college level at Southern Oregon, about learning. Coincidentally, Jim Shetter, who had just been named as the head coach of the Wasilla football program, had been scouting Livingston's squad, in search of a kicker.

Livingston worked with Dahl a few times during the spring and the summer. He and Dahl would hit the field with a bag of footballs, and started with the basics - things such as footwork and accuracy. Dahl already had the leg strength to be successful.

On the soccer field, Livingston said, Dahl is a player the Warriors use in penalty kick situations. With a stress on accuracy a penalty kick on the soccer field could be the equivilant to a field goal on the football field.

&#8220He has good composure, he's good under pressure and he's accurate,” Livingston said. &#8220There was a little bit of a transition, but it was pretty natural.”

Livingston said kicking for accuracy is something that can be compared to hitting a golf ball.

&#8220It's fairly technical,” he said. &#8220There are a few basic steps, and its really important you do the same thing every time.”

Consistency is key, Livingston said, and Dahl is consistently hitting long field goals in practice, and now in games, from a significant distance. Dahl said he even hit a 52-yarder during one practice.

&#8220He's got a really strong leg,” Livingston said. &#8220A lot of natural ability.”

Shetter said another coach saw Dahl kick at a camp during the summer and told him, &#8220this kid's going to win games for ya.”

&#8220And he has,” Shetter said.

With Dahl, Shetter said he is able to emphasize the three facets of the game - offense, defense and special teams.

&#8220Kickers bring a whole different dimension,” Shetter said. &#8220Some teams have trouble making a short field goal, we're making them from 40 yards.”

Dahl also had the chance to show off his speed in the win over West Valley. He helped set up his field goal, with a 19-yard run on a fake punt.

&#8220He's one of the fastest kids on the team,” Shetter said.

Shetter said Dahl even notched his first tackle after a kickoff against Kodiak.

Dahl also handles the team's punting duties.

&#8220It's a little bit different,” Dahl said. &#8220I'm not as good at punting, but I can kick it far.”

Dahl said he has been learning the different ways to punt, the different angles and how to send the ball in different directions.

And he admits he does have a preference.

&#8220My favorite is the field goals,” Dahl said. &#8220The field goals are pretty natural for me. I just kick.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.