Krautman is downright accurate for Ramapo
Article posted on 12/1/2009

FRANKLIN LAKES — Ross Krautman has a short memory.

That's been a major part of his blueprint for excellence as the kicker for Ramapo, and to reach his level, there is no better way to deal with the ups and downs of playing his position.

"Every kick is a new kick; you have to think that way," Krautman said. "Whether you make 'em or you miss 'em, the next kick is the only one that matters."

And make no mistake, Krautman does not miss many.

He has missed just one extra point in four years with Ramapo, relying on the accuracy and strength of his right leg to punctuate so much of the team's success on the varsity football field.

Krautman has converted 79 consecutive point-after touchdown kicks, snapping the State record previously owned by his older brother, Ricky, a 2003 Ramapo graduate. His consistency is beyond reproach, and in a season during which many teams – even the winning ones — could not always count on making extra points, the Green Raiders' confidence never wavered, no matter the pressure.

"At times we do take it for granted, and that speaks to just how good he's been," Ramapo coach Drew Gibbs said. "We do consider him automatic, and it's his production that has led us to think that way.

"There's no secret his work ethic is a big reason he has done as well as he has."

That being said, there is no bigger stage than the one Krautman and Ramapo will play on Saturday afternoon when they meet Wayne Hills for the North 1, Group 3 championship.

The narrow goal posts at Giants Stadium will present a challenge, of course, as will the use of the wider high school hash marks, but Krautman is ready and somewhat anxious for what he considers the opportunity of an already prolific career.

"Every kid who plays dreams about getting a chance to win a State [sectional] championship, and now we get our chance against our biggest rival," he said. "We're all really pumped up, and it's hard to think of anything that would be better than this right now."

The Syracuse-bound Krautman has taken his game very seriously since the fifth grade, when Ricky was one of the best kickers in New Jersey and Ramapo seemingly was playing for State sectional championships on the gridiron every season.

His early days of youth football were spent at multiple positions, including running back, wide receiver and defensive back; that is, until his brother carved a niche for himself in the kicking game with the Green Raiders.

At the urging of Pat Sempier, one of the most respected private kicking coaches in the tri-state area, Krautman decided to follow in his sibling's footsteps.

"Ross would fetch balls when Ricky was practicing his kicking all the time, and I think it got to a point where he was like, 'Maybe I should give it a try,' " their father, Jeff, recalled. "He'd watch and listen to Pat teaching Ricky, and I think he tried his first kick when he was 8 years old. Everything just took off for him from there."

Krautman cracked the Ramapo lineup as a freshman and has been a mainstay ever since, booting a school-record nine field goals as a sophomore. The kick that established the standard was a game-winning 29-yarder on Thanksgiving Eve that beat Indian Hills, 24-21.

Ironically, his last-second heroics came in the same game as his only missed extra point, which was blocked.

"Getting the game-winner in the same game definitely helped put the miss behind me," said Krautman, who has 18 career field goals and is 121-of-122 on PATs. "That was a great way to end that season."

Krautman started his junior season and his streak with a change in his approach. Instead of using a tee like most high school kickers, he decided to kick off the ground, which puts more pressure not only on him, but on his holder.

He made the move hoping to gain an edge on the competition, and the results have been remarkable.

"It's really a team effort [on PATs] and on kickoffs, and people might not see that," said Krautman, who credits his holder, Matt Fleisher, and his long snapper, Tim Kologrivov, for their part in this season's success.

"We took some time in the preseason to get our timing down, and things weren't clicking right away," Gibbs said. "Once everything clicked, those guys really found a good rhythm."

And Krautman certainly has been as close to perfect as it gets.

Ross Krautman Bio >

 

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