Warm ups, stretches, team drills, live reps and well over 50 balls through the uprights; this is just another day in the life of senior Pinnacle High kicker Jacob Veach.

 

Veach kicked off his football career as a freshman when he broke ties with his long-loved soccer to become Pinnacle’s JV kicker.

 

Now, three years later, he holds the same position on varsity.

 

“The main thing is you can’t get too low and you can’t get too high,” said Veach. “I try to stay level headed.”

 

Eric Aardahl, Pinnacle’s special teams coordinator, works closest with Veach and has known him for two years.

 

“We put a lot of pressure on him as a young man,” said Aardahl.  “He gets a lot of negativity and none of the credit, kind of like the underlooked hero of the team.”

 

Veach is 25-for-25 in points after touchdowns (PATS) and 5-for-6 in field goals for Pinnacle’s 3-3 team.

 

His longest field goal this season is a 37-yarder, but he has kicked from 62 in practice.

 

He leads the state in scoring for high school kickers with 40 points.

 

“He doesn’t get up or down,” said Pinnacle coach Dana Zupke. “He’s a better athlete than probably the kickers we’ve had in the past and I think that is manifesting itself in his ability to kick the football.”

 

Veach’s statistics are superb, and his teammates agree he is the most dedicated player on the team.

 

“Veach has to do a job that doesn’t really get a lot of credit,” said defensive tackle Corley Thompson. “He still does it and he works really hard to make sure that he’s good at his job.”

 

Two players Veach has been close with on and off the field since freshman year are safety Tucker Parrish and corner Dylan Stevenson.

 

“He is very supportive,” said Parrish, who is also Veach’s placeholder. “He is more of a team guy than it being all about himself.”

 

Stevenson, who is also the backup kicker, is nicknamed “The Broken Leg.” In case Veach injures his leg, Stevenson is ready for the challenge.

 

“As a teammate I would say Veach is solid,” said Stevenson. “He is always happy and always there.”

 

Veach’s devotion to football reaches beyond the season at Pinnacle. He has worked with a personal kicking coach outside of practice since his freshman year and has attended multiple camps.

 

His biggest supporter throughout his athletic career has been his father, who he talks to during halftime of every game and credits for giving him the opportunity to visit so many kicking camps.

 

Veach is always physically and mentally prepared to enter the game at unexpected moments.

 

“I listen to calm music,” said Veach. “The main thing is staying calm; don’t overthink things.”

 

Veach has his mind set on playing football in college and has already visited a few schools in the state.

 

“Playing college football has been a dream of mine since I first realized that kicking was my true passion,” said Veach. “It would mean the world to me to be given the opportunity to continue.”