Kat Althouse
Kicker Zach McGowan went 6-7 on PATs with seven touchbacks to earn the junior's first E8 Special Teams Player of the Week.
Brockport Football junior kicker Zach McGowan was named the Empire 8 Football Special Teams Player of the Week. In the dominant 48-14 win at home over Empire 8 newcomer Alfred State, McGowan completed 6 of 7 point-after attempts, while totaling 523 kickoff yards, garnering 7 touchbacks on 8 attempts.
“Honestly, it was a great feeling,” McGowan said in reaction to being named Empire Special Teams Player of the Week. “Especially seeing the love and support from everyone reaching out and congratulating me. It’s a high praise thing, and you have to perform at such a high level to be recognized by them.”
After only attempting a total of 3 extra points in the first four weeks of the regular season, McGowan’s responsibilities expanded from Brockport’s kickoff specialist to also include point-after-attempts and field goals following an injury to fellow Brockport kicker, Sal Montaperto.
“Unfortunately, Sal [Montaperto] got injured, so I had to step up into his role and start taking more reps at extra points and field goals,” McGowan said. “I mean nothing too different, practice-wise, leading up to Saturday. Just small adjustments to help me technically. Basically, just fill the role and step up in a big way to help the team any way I can. Just working on it during practice has definitely helped my confidence rise, and I hope to continue that into the rest of the season and hopefully the postseason.”
Going into the matchup, the junior was patient with his opportunities, knowing that his environment was ideal for him to find success on the field.
“My mindset didn’t really change much,” McGowan said. “I just take it one rep at a time and make the most of the opportunities given to me. The atmosphere was great, I mean, another beautiful day outside to play some football. And of course, the fans showed up, so it was a great environment to play some football in.”
Following the route of Alfred State, McGowan was showered with praise by coaches and teammates alike, and recognized that all Golden Eagles did their part to secure the Empire 8 victory.
“It was a great feeling knowing I did my job and just having the praise from the coaches and teammates,” McGowan said. “Just a great overall team win with the offense and defense both balling and getting a huge conference win, and allowing us to continue this into the coming games.”
Looking ahead, McGowan has his eyes on accomplishing his preseason goals while recognizing the importance of taking it kick by kick to ensure personal success.
“It definitely boosts my confidence as it was such a great accomplishment,” McGowan said. “It is going to mentally lock me in for the rest of the season. A goal I had going into the year was to lead the conference in touchbacks, so I’m still trying to do that, but I have to take it week by week and one kick at a time.”
Zach McGowan and the 4-2 (2-1) Brockport Golden Eagles head to Morrisville this Saturday, October 25, to take on the 0-6 (0-3) SUNY Morrisville Mustangs. The Mustangs are coming off a narrow 27-21 loss to Utica, with kickoff at Drake Field set for 12:00 p.m.