Alex Bacchetta is the nation’s No. 1 senior punter, according to Kohl’s, so it’s ironic that he wasn’t even Westminster’s starting punter last season.
That job went Connor Weselman, who signed with Stanford as the No. 6 punter nationally. So rich is the Westminster kicking/punting tradition that Bacchetta was left to kicking duties, which he handled expertly, making first-team all-state.
Bacchetta has committed to Penn State, which wants him mainly as a punter. That will give Westminster six major Division I punters and kickers in just the past eight years. The others are NFL kicker Harrison Butker (Georgia Tech), NFL punter Blake Gillikin (Penn State), Charlie Ham (Duke), Alex Gracey (Stanford) and Weselman (Stanford).
Below are the final 10 members of GHSF Daily’s Georgia Power 100, the specialists.
*Alex Bacchetta, Westminster: Bacchetta was 8-of-12 on field goals last season with no misses inside 45 yards. He put 88% of kickoffs in the end zone. He’ll get to punt this season.
*Henry Bates, Ware County: Bates was MaxPreps’ first-team All-America punter last season, when he averaged 45.2 yards per punt. He also made 10 of 15 field goals with a long of 45 and put 84% of kickoffs in the end zone.
*Chase Folser, Ola: Folser has made 15 of 19 field-goal attempts in his career, including six of seven in 2020 with a long of 48. He made a 52-yarder in a scrimmage game last week. He’s rated the No. 48 senior PK prospect nationally by Kohl’s.
*Preston Gentry, Carrollton: Gentry averaged 40.1 yards per punt, putting 10 of 36 inside the 20-yard line, and was 3-of-3 on field goals with a long of 49 yards. He put 13 of 21 kickoffs in the end zone.
*Preston Hart, Lowndes: Hart was 9-of-9 on field goals with a long of 44 yards in 2020.
*Dawson Jones, Marist: Jones was 8-of-9 on field goals with a long of 48 yards in 2020.
*Alejandro Mata, Buford: Mata was 13-of-16 on field goals with a long of 48 yards last season. He put 34 of 93 kickoffs into the end zone. Mata was among five members of Buford’s 2020 championship team to make first-team AJC all-state.
*Jack Pirinelli, Blessed Trinity: Pirinelli, rated the No. 12 long snapper nationally by Rubio, committed to Army in July. He’s also his team’s two-year starting center and plays defensive tackle.
*Brooks Sturgeon, Wesleyan: Sturgeon, who has committed to N.C. State, had the best all-around season of any Georgia specialist last season, when he made 15 of 17 field-goal attempts (long of 44), and averaged 41.2 yards per punt (long of 72). Kohl’s rates him the No. 37 senior punter nationally.
*Cooper West, Alpharetta: West, ranked the No. 17 PK prospect nationally among juniors by Kohl’s, made five of his seven attempts as a sophomore last season at Dunwoody. His long was 43 yards.
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