Pioneer alumnus Evan Finch on college kicker of the year award watch list
Hope College kicker Evan Finch, a Pioneer High School alumnus, is on the watch list for the preseason watch list for the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Placekicker Award.
Cory Olsen | MLive.com file photo
Hope College kicker and Pioneer High School alumnus Evan Finch has been named to the preseason watch list for the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Placekicker Award.
The award is given to the nation's top placekicker in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II and III, NAIA and junior college football teams. The only college football teams not included in the selection process is the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Evan Finch
The award recipient is chosen by a committee which considers both on-field performance as well as work in the community. Finch works with special education students as a swimming teacher, is a bible study leader at Hope and also volunteers with Pioneer's track team.
“He does extremely well in the classroom and on the field,” Hope football coach Dean Kreps said in a release. “He’s the real deal student-athlete.”
Finch, a 2010 Pioneer grad, led Hope in scoring during his junior season last year, totaling 45 points. He converted 33-of-35 point-after-attempts and made 4-of-4 field goal attempts with a season-long of 40 yards. For his career, Finch has 108 career points with 72-of-76 PATs made and is 12-of-16 on field-goal attempts.
Finch is is one of 34 placekickers nationally and 11 from NCAA Division III on the preseason watch list.
Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.
Comments
Pete Cunningham
Fri, Aug 2, 2013 : 3:33 a.m.
Help me out here Pioneer fans, was Finch even the placekicker at Pioneer or was he a kickoff specialist behind all-stater Jeremy Ross?
Pete Cunningham
Fri, Aug 2, 2013 : 6:18 p.m.
Thanks Ann Arbor Red. Nice to see Evan stick with kicking despite the obstacle of being behind such talent in high school. His senior football season, 2009, was a really talented team with Ross, Ricardo Miller, Drake Johnson, Miles Sorise, Reilly Quigley, etc. Beat a Devin Gardner led Inkster team in the season opener, which was a great game. Blast from the past with the coverage here: http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/2903951509142772230/ann-arbor-pioneers-last-minute-drive-upsets-inkster-35-32-at-big-day-prep-showdown/
Ann Arbor Red
Fri, Aug 2, 2013 : 5:15 p.m.
I believe he was actually the punter - and the kickers were Jeremy Ross and Don Strite
garrisondyer
Fri, Aug 2, 2013 : 1:32 a.m.
Oh yeah, Flying Dutch! If ya ain't Dutch, ya ain't much, baby!
Michigan Man
Fri, Aug 2, 2013 : 1:29 a.m.
Future looking really bright for this young man in many, many ways!