{"id":6646,"date":"2024-02-20T11:08:50","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T16:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6646"},"modified":"2024-02-20T11:08:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T16:08:53","slug":"10-to-the-big-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6646","title":{"rendered":"#10 to the Big 10"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1st Place, Sports Feature Story <\/strong>
2022-23, Division 1, News Writing

By Aidan Oakley <\/strong>
The Pioneer Press
Dearborn HS

When most people think of a typical football game, they think of the quarterbacks making throws, the wide receivers snagging touchdowns, and the linebackers making key tackles. But in the big moments, win or lose, game on the line, one player has to come up clutch. One player, one position on the team, can decide under the shining stadium lights if a team will go home with a victory or a loss in certain games. DHS kicker Yousef Obeid knows this feeling all too well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKickers, you\u2019re either the hero or the villain,\u201d Obeid said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earning the DHS starting kicker spot
for three years, Obeid has proved himself a reliable piece of the Pioneers\u2019 success. The 6\u20190\u201d, 175-pound senior consistently knocked his kicks through, earned KLAA kicker of the year, and even racked up the second highest receiving yards on the team as the Pioneers\u2019 slot receiver. Obeid\u2019s accomplishments were enough to convince Michigan State University to offer him a football scholarship, a revelation that came with much patience and diligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the beginning I thought I was never going to get noticed, cause I was like, \u2018Man all these kids are so much better than me,\u2019\u201d Obeid said. \u201cAnd then I just trusted the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obeid\u2019s journey towards being a collegiate kicker came from humble roots. He started his football journey in eighth grade, nailing a 45 yard field goal in his first ever game for Bryant Middle School. Due to his early success, Obeid desired to pursue his kicking the most in high school. Come sophomore year, Obeid made it as the starting kicker for DHS, impressing former head coach Johnathon Powell with his spirit and determination. Current head coach Alex Grignon sees Obeid as a prepared player who is motivated on and off the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe stays positive through what he\u2019s got going on,\u201d Grignon said. \u201cRegardless of the results on the field, he comes back, works hard. He puts in time in the off season, takes care of his body pretty well, and it\u2019s paying off for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obeid made it through high school putting together an extremely impressive tenure for the Pioneers, making every extra point he attempted and pushing the opponent down field with massive punts and kickoffs. But kicking doesn\u2019t define him as a player, as Obeid was able to reel in 15 receptions for 315 yards as a wide receiver, showing his ability to succeed in multiple positions.

\u201cJust says a lot about him,\u201d Grignon said. \u201cProbably could\u2019ve played defense if we weren\u2019t so deep as well. He\u2019s just one of those kids that has broad athleticism, naturally gifted, but then capitalized on it with work ethic and made sure he reached his athletic potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through all his success, Obeid said that he knew that his greatest chance at going D1 was through kicking. However, it was not easy to get his name out to college coaches through DHS football, due to the limited opportunities to make significant kicks that can garner the attention of college scouts and coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a pretty aggressive offense, there are probably times we could\u2019ve used him to give us an easy three, but that\u2019s not really how we operate,\u201d Grignon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, Obeid had to turn to kicking camps as his medium to find college interest. Mainly Kornblue Kicking, a nationally recognized special teams program featuring many camps across the country. Kornblue Kicking highlights some of the nations top kickers, and Obeid was labeled a 4 1\u20442 star recruit, ranking as one of the top kickers in the nation. Here, he was able to receive special training from Kyle Brindza, former NFL kicker and kicking record-holder for Notre Dame University. Obeid feels that Brindza was a great mentor and helped him rival the competition for kicking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the beginning, I was never placing top 10 at the camps, and after I started training more privately with Kyle Brindza, I got second place and started to do well,\u201d Obeid said. \u201cAnd then if I didn\u2019t win the camp I\u2019d be disappointed. Eventually I went from being the worst to being the best. If I didn\u2019t win I\u2019d go home sad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brindza has worked one on one with Obeid for the past two years and noted Obeid\u2019s improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s developed as a kicker in a few facets,\u201d Brindza said. \u201cConsistency has tremendously improved as he improves a percentage every time we\u2019ve trained, his height of field goals have shown the power he can put into a ball as the ball continuously improves on jumping off his foot, and lastly his mindset to tune out the little things to focus on the kick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brindza was able to help Obeid get in contact with important coaches and trainers that would help advance his recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe provided me with people to connect with during quarantine to help me along the way because his camps weren\u2019t open,\u201d Obeid said. \u201cAnd he also provided me with a lot of connections, before I would go to a camp, he reached out to coaches and said \u2018Look at this kid, he\u2019s doing really well.\u2019 And that kind of put more of a target on me and helped me along my way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the world of college recruiting, Brindza said that college coaches often rely on experienced kicking coaches at camps to determine which athletes can translate to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExperts are running them and know the ins and outs of the craft as we have experienced it ourselves from being said athletes and coaching,\u201d Brindza said. \u201cA traditional football coach knows X\u2019s and O\u2019s, but not the art behind kicking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The painful reality started to set in for Obeid when no offers were being made by his senior year. Multiple colleges had shown interest, including the University of Cincinnati, Notre Dame University, Eastern Michigan University, and others. But ultimately no college made the final decision to make an offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKids I beat at camps were getting offers,\u201d Obeid said. \u201cSo I was like \u2018Man what am I doing wrong?\u2019 And to be honest, I was just out of luck at that point. So I just started focusing on myself. It\u2019s hard for these colleges, there\u2019s a million people texting them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure was only getting more intense as his back up plan was seeming like more of a realistic option, while his dream seemed to be fading away at the same rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe day before, I had a talk with my dad in his room,\u201d Obeid said. \u201cHe\u2019s like, \u2018Yousef, schools aren\u2019t calling. You\u2019re going to need to find a plan B. If you want to go to a big school you may have to go to a JUCO, division three, division two.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t want to do that. I\u2019m beating these kids and they\u2019re getting offers.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That would all change. Obeid would finally get the news he had worked years for around noon of Dec. 22, 2022. After getting a call from his dad to meet him at work, Obeid learned that Michigan State University had just called to offer him a scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was jumping up and down, I was going crazy,\u201d Obeid said. \u201cThe second I heard it, that was my dream, to go division one. That\u2019s every kids dream. To play in a stadium that big, especially because it\u2019s in state, and I know the way it holds in the communities around Michigan.\u201d

For Obeid, one of the best parts of the offer was the leaving the stress behind to prove himself to colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy I made it here,\u201d Obeid said.
\u201cI definitely don\u2019t have to keep worrying about checking my twitter to see if a coach texted me. It\u2019s just so relieving when everything\u2019s done. All the weight went off my shoulders, I was so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obeid officially put pen to paper and signed to MSU on Feb. 5, 2023 at Dearborn High\u2019s signing day. At Michigan State, Obeid will be headed to a highly competitive D1 football school which is in desperate need of a new kicker. In their 2022 season, the Spartans went just 6 for 12 in field goal attempts, one of the factors that led to their disappointing 5-7 record. The addition of Obeid will bring a new hope to the special teams room for the team from East Lansing. In front of 74,866 fans at Spartan Stadium, Obeid will hope to have the opportunity to make big time kicks in the most critical of situations. A kicker\u2019s life is never easy, but Obeid\u2019s willpower and tenacity points towards a promising future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m kicking at their stadium they should all be cheering for me so if anything I should have an adrenaline rush,\u201d Obeid said. \u201cAnd if they\u2019re not cheering for me then it should motivate me harder to knock down the kick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NW-19. Sports Feature Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stories may include personality profile, informative, interpretive (why), and\/or human interest features specifically related to sports. Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the story was published or the URL to the story on an online news site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JUDGING CRITERIA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Lead captures attention, arouses curiosity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Emphasizes new element,fresh angle<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Colorful, lively presentation; effective form\/style<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Descriptive writing demonstrates the concept of \u201cshow, don\u2019t tell\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reflects adequate research, sound interviewing techniques<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Avoids summaries of published materials<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Effective use of facts\/quotes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Interesting; appeals to the emotions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Proper diction\/grammar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n



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