Bottom Of The Barrel

Rudy Part 2?

The official stat line from last night's Boston College/Virginia Tech football game was:

S. Aponavicius XPM 2 XPA 2 FGM 2 FGA 2 Lng 36 Pct 100.0 Pts 8

Footbally speaking, these seem pretty average [2 extra points and 2 field goals - 20 and 36 yards respectively] but it's within these average statistics you find a way above average story.

Steve Aponavicius [pronounced Appa-NA-vicious] has played in exactly 1 football game in his career and it was last night. At Easton High [PA], Aponavicius played soccer and baseball, but not football. As a defender in soccer, his job was to kick the ball as far as possible which is a good skill for a kicker.

As a freshman at BC, Aponavicius joined the legion of student Super Fans, accessorizing his gold T-shirt with a crazy sombrero that landed him a cameo shot on BC's football highlight video last season. BC graduate assistant Jay Civetti, who is credited with discovering Aponavicius last season, practicing alone at Alumni Stadium as Civetti cut through the stadium Tuesday and Thursday evenings on his way to his graduate classes. Aponavicius had began working out on his own at Alumni Stadium, hoping to get noticed. "When Coach Civetti came out, I thought he was kicking me off the field, because I had no idea if I was allowed to be out there" recalled Aponavicius. Civetti gave Aponavicius the e-mail address of Jerry Petercuskie, BC's assistant head coach and special teams coach and a week later he was on the team.

His teammates and coaches struggle with his name so he has been given a few nicknames such as Steve A-P or Viciousness or Sid Vicious [I happen to like Sid The Kid, but that's just me]. Head Coach Tom O'Brien likes the last one saying "That's what I call him, so that's what we're going with for now."

Aponavicius was promoted this week to starting kicker after junior kicker Ryan Ohliger was indefinitely suspending for his involvement in an altercation outside an Allston bar early last Thursday morning. But after last nights performance, maybe the reason for the promotion to starter isn't as significant is the story of the Rudyish boy who has now played his first football game, which happens to be for the 25th ranked Boston College Eagles. Go, Sid, Go!

posted by TheWino @ 9:04 AM