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By Nathan Martinson Jovin Kroll has been a cornerstone for the Falcon special teams the last few years and performs one of the key components of the game as the punter. Besides punting, he also holds for extra points and field goals. "Jovin has been a great story for our program since 2003 because hard work does pay off," Falcon Coach John O'Grady said. In this his senior season, Kroll has been the starting Falcon punter for the last three years and saw some action as a freshman. So far this season Kroll has been punting the ball very well with an average of 39.2 yards per punt in five games. In 2005, he set career highs in punts (47) and average (37.6). "Kicking coach Tom Caflisch has given me all the fundamentals necessary to become a better punter. I also feel that just gaining as much experience as possible has also helped along the way," Kroll said.Kroll, 6-1 180 pounds, has improved with his technique and worked very hard in the weight room to improve his punting skills. "I've learned that success takes time and can really only be achieved through consistent effort. It's that effort that makes success that much sweeter when it comes," Kroll said."Every year he has become a better punter for us," said O'Grady. "When he first came here I thought he was too small and would never make it into any game as a punter. He proved me wrong." Kroll is the perfect definition of a student-athlete. Since his freshman year Kroll has been named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll every year. "Jovin is a great example of a student-athlete. He maintains very good grades as well as putting in hard preparation for the punting game," O'Grady said. Kroll felt that this school had everything to offer him on the field and off. He feels that the people and faculty are very helpful and work very hard in achieving big things. "UWRF has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people who will remain my friends for the rest of my life," Kroll said. Kroll, who went to Maple-Northwestern High School in Poplar, Wis., was named first team all-conference as a punter and won the team's Coaches Award. He also earned all-conference honors in baseball for three straight years. At Northwestern he was part of a winning football program. The three years he was on varsity the team made the playoffs all three seasons and won two Heart O'North conference titles. He was also named the school's commencement speaker and a senior class officer. He graduated third out of 130 students. He is the son of Carole and Gerald. He is majoring in English communications. In his spare time he likes to watch the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers. He also likes to hang out on the lake, golf, ice fish, hang out with friends and his fiancé Breena. Kroll got his start in football in the sixth grade where he played for the Northwestern Middle School Vikings. Kroll feels that the Falcons can turnaround their season and make a run at the conference title. "I expect improvement this year in our conference games. I won't predict anything, but with all the effort we've given this offseason there is no reason we shouldn't be successful. The special teams units are the strongest they've been since I've been here," Kroll said. |
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