Purdy kicks Pack into high gear

When you name off the list of offensive weapons on the Glacier football team, Brandon Purdy’s name isn’t always the first to come to mind.

The Wolfpack has averaged more than 43 points a game, largely on the legs of its skill players. Noah James, Evan Epperly, Brady McChesney and Logan Jones have torn opposing defenses to shreds, each among the best in the state at his postion this season.

But it’s Purdy’s leg that has been the biggest surprise.

A first-year kicker, Purdy has been almost automatic the second half of the season.

He has seven field goals, two from 40 yards, the most in the state. He is also 50 of 55 on extra points.

That range and consistency has been a safety net for the offense, allowing Glacier to be more creative and aggressive in the red zone.

“It changes your mindset,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said.

“You know that you’re in scoring range once you get to a certain point. It’s really nice to know that.”

A midfielder on the Wolfpack soccer team — where he was second on the team with a goal and two assists this season — Purdy first put thought to joining the football team last winter. Noticing an opening at kicker after the loss of Kyle Griffith to graduation, a friend convinced him to give it a try.

His availability was a welcome sight to Glacier’s football coaches. After three years of Griffith kicking, they were left without an obvious choice at place kicker.

“That’s one thing we probably didn’t do well enough was think about developing a kicker post-Kyle,” Bennett said.

“You get so used to something that when all of a sudden he’s gone, you think, ‘Oh no.’”

After discussions with football and soccer coaches, Purdy began practicing kicking a football over the summer, kicking field goals at Edgerton Elementary to get down the steps.

“I had about a month of being frustrated with myself trying to get it (down),” Purdy said.

The transition from soccer to football wasn’t seamless. Still starring on the pitch, having to alternate between kicking a ball high in football and low in soccer was difficult.

His first football game was an eye opener. Playing at Great Falls C.M. Russell, he missed an extra point that would’ve given Glacier a seven-point lead. Watching as the Rustlers drove the field at the end of the game to try to win it hit Purdy hard.

“They’re in the red zone (at the end of the game) and I couldn’t do anything about it,” Purdy said.

“It was a big shock to me, I have to get this down or this will actually cost us games.”

Eventually it clicked. In his first home attempt, against Hellgate, Purdy pulled his kick left, squarley hitting the right upright. In his second attempt, from 40 yards out, he was short. His third attempt was a 40 yarder right down the middle.

Since then he has hit six more from an average of 28 yards and has learned to power his kicks through the uprights.

The end of soccer season has allowed him to focus more on football, and results have followed.

“As he’s figured that out, he’s really gotten better and improved his technique,” Bennett said. “It’s been fun to watch him come to film sessions and figure out why we’re trying to do, then go work on it.”

Purdy said he’ll be attending kicking camps in the offseason, hoping to eventually parlay what was once a chance opportunity into a college offer.

“Being in that locker room and being in that environment was ridiculous compared to soccer,” Purdy said.

“The energy level was crazy. I was getting jacked myself. The environment, I loved it.”

“The good news is he’s only a junior,” Bennett said.

“His range is only going to get bigger and bigger. His leg strength on kickoffs and the things we can do.

“It’s exciting this year with what he’s done. Next year is going to be really fun, to just use him as a weapon.”