Dace breaks NCC career placekicking record

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Updated: October 29, 2011 11:14PM

With each stalled North Central offensive drive, Cardinals’ sophomore placekicker Nick Dace was awarded a chance to put points on the board and inch closer to a record.

By halftime of Saturday night’s game at home against Elmhurst College, Dace had kicked field goals of 38, 33 and 37 yards — giving him 23 for his two-year career which broke the all-time mark set by Ryan Jordan (1998-2001) and Mike Augustine (2002-04).

He also connected on two extra points in the first half, which broke Anthony Bognanno’s record of 83 set from 2004-07 and established Dace as the all-time leading scorer among North Central kickers.

“Nick is very fortunate he was able to come in as a freshman and start right away, and he’s really done a great job,” Cardinals’ special teams coordinator Adam Pucylowski said. “It’s such a tool for the offense knowing that if they do stall a little bit they can rely on the kicker.”

Just for good measure, Dace tacked on four more extra points in the second half as the Cardinals (7-1, 5-0 CCIW) rolled to a 51-10 win. After a bit of an unnerving start to the season with a few big missed kicks, Dace is back in full stride, which will be important come playoff time with points at a premium.

“He’s been a little up and down, but he’s starting to work those kinks out,” Pucylowski said. “He really had a great game today and I’m very proud of him. One thing I’ve tried to work with Nick on is forget the last kick. As a kicker you have to do that.”

Hicks has a breakout day

It only took seven catches for fifth-year senior wide receiver Nick Hicks to contribute more than he had all season. Make that three seasons.

The 5-foot-9 wideout from south Florida became a regular fixture for quarterback Tyler Dicken on the night, catching seven balls for 118 yards. The last two seasons, Hicks caught just six balls a season and only had six catches this season heading into the showdown with the Bluejays (4-4, 2-3).

“So I beat it tonight, huh? Pretty cool,” Hicks said with a laugh. “I mean, honestly, it’s me being healthy. I’ve been injured the past couple years and haven’t been able to finish seasons. Three ACL knee injuries, I’m finally healthy and feeling great. Coach (Jeff Thorne) has helped me out, putting me in the right position to make plays. They expect plays from all of us and it just so happens my number was called tonight.”

Hicks caught passes of 18 and 3 yards on the first scoring drive, 14 and 23 on another scoring drive, 21 yards on a third trip and 28 on a fourth — all before halftime.

Considering how bad the receiving corps has struggled this year losing all-time leader Steve Hlavac to graduation and Manny Juarez to an ACL tear, it will be important for the receivers to step up and take pressure off the running game and a young quarterback.

“If we’re going to get farther in the playoffs and keep winning, we’re going to need a balanced attack,” Hicks said. “We can’t just run the ball 60 times a game. Throwing the ball will be crucial and we have to start building confidence.”

Hicks was being mobbed after the game by head coach John Thorne and offensive coordinator Jeff Thorne, both extremely joyful to see the on-field success of someone who’s put in all the time off the field. The career night also came at a time when Hicks’ parents were visiting from Florida.

“It’s been a struggle for us throwing the football this year with three freshmen and two fifth-year receivers,” Jeff Thorne said. “Our offense has morphed into something where we don’t have four receivers on the field anymore and we are a running-dominant team. … This guy has been such an unbelievable team guy for five years. He’s my son’s favorite player on the team and has been for several years, so he has a special place in my heart and I could not be happier for him.”