- October 14th, 2006, 7:25 pm
#34995
Walk-On Kicker Scores With Eagles
Peter Yoon
October 14, 2006
First came "Rudy," then "Invincible."
The next underdog-makes-good football movie might be "Sid Vicious."
ADVERTISEMENTIt would be about Steve Aponavicius, a walk-on kicker at Boston College who kicked two field goals and two extra points Thursday night in a nationally televised 22-3 upset of No. 22 Virginia Tech.
Aponavicius, called Sid Vicious by teammates wary of trying to pronounce his last name (it's AH-pah-nah-VIH-chis), spent the early weeks of last season wearing face paint and cheering wildly in the student section.
The left-footer tried out for the team after a coach discovered him kicking field goals for fun on campus. He made the team last season but rarely suited up for games.
But he got the call this week when starter Ryan Ohliger was suspended for an off-campus fight. A soccer player in high school, Aponavicius had never played in a football game before Thursday, but he made field goals of 36 and 20 yards.
"All of it was fun," he said after the game. "Every minute of it. I just wanted to go out and enjoy it."
Aponavicius celebrated with his cronies in the student section after the game, then donned a suit and tie for a postgame news conference.
"He's unique," Eagles safety Ryan Glasper said. "We talked to him all week about how everyone's given an opportunity. This was his opportunity. We had the confidence in him to do the job."
Peter Yoon
October 14, 2006
First came "Rudy," then "Invincible."
The next underdog-makes-good football movie might be "Sid Vicious."
ADVERTISEMENTIt would be about Steve Aponavicius, a walk-on kicker at Boston College who kicked two field goals and two extra points Thursday night in a nationally televised 22-3 upset of No. 22 Virginia Tech.
Aponavicius, called Sid Vicious by teammates wary of trying to pronounce his last name (it's AH-pah-nah-VIH-chis), spent the early weeks of last season wearing face paint and cheering wildly in the student section.
The left-footer tried out for the team after a coach discovered him kicking field goals for fun on campus. He made the team last season but rarely suited up for games.
But he got the call this week when starter Ryan Ohliger was suspended for an off-campus fight. A soccer player in high school, Aponavicius had never played in a football game before Thursday, but he made field goals of 36 and 20 yards.
"All of it was fun," he said after the game. "Every minute of it. I just wanted to go out and enjoy it."
Aponavicius celebrated with his cronies in the student section after the game, then donned a suit and tie for a postgame news conference.
"He's unique," Eagles safety Ryan Glasper said. "We talked to him all week about how everyone's given an opportunity. This was his opportunity. We had the confidence in him to do the job."
- By Sly Fox
- By ATrain
- By TH Spangler