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Kickin' it with Austin: Ex-Central Valley kicker breaks down special teams plays out of Idaho

Former Central Valley football star and Idaho punter and kicker Austin Rehkow breaks down the best special teams plays at Moscow, Sandpoint and Lake City.

Don't forget about the kickers.

That's the message Austin Rehkrow hopes to spread during #HSS2Night's weekly coverage of high school football games across the Inland Northwest.

Rehkrow, who is best known for his 67-yard field goal that sent the Central Valley Bears into overtime against Shadle Park in 2012, is now in the KREM 2 studio making sure all the high school kickers on Friday nights get the recognition they deserve.

On Sept. 7, Rehkrow sat down with the #HSS2Night crew and discussed three key special teams plays across the Inland Northwest.

His analysis started at Moscow -- in the opening kickoff of the game, Moscow senior Jacob Cardwell snagged the ball off a bounce, which is known to cause trouble for the kickoff team.

"You're taught to go to the returner and it's one of those where, especially as a returner, your guy with speed, you want space," Rehkrow said. "So it kind of gives you a time to pause and kind of think about it."

Cardwell remained untouched as he raced past Timberlake and ran into the end zone for a quick touchdown.

At Sandpoint High, the Bulldogs' special teams brought a full-team effort against the University Trojans.

Dillan Mitton received some help from teammate Ryan Bloomberg on a kick return as two Trojans attempted to pull Mitton down by his legs. Bloomberg swooped in and wrapped his arms around Mitton, pulling him out of the pile of Trojans.

The teamwork helped -- Mitton escaped and was able to get in a few more yards before he was finally taken down.

"You always here the term 'strength in numbers,' and when you have an extra guy pulling you, I mean, obviously it helps," Rehkrow said. "Great effort and a big return."

At Lake City, the Timberwolves left the kicker out of the show to go for the two-point conversion. The T-Wolves formed a "swinging gate" formation with the majority of the offensive line on one side. Instead of snapping the ball to the quarterback, Lake City got it to a running back, who skipped into the end zone for the extra two points.

Coming from a kicker's perspective, Rehkrow said he tips his hat to teams willing to go for the tough, two-point plays, even if it means leaving out the kickers.

"Two points is better than one, and you've got to look at percentages," Rehkrow said. "Kudos to them for pulling it out."

To view this video, click here.

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