Ranger punter named honorable mention All-American |
| Honor comes one week after earning unanimous All-Conference accolades |
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Kilgore College sophomore punter Michael Cohen was named honorable mention All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association on Tuesday, just one week after being named to the Southwest Junior College Football Conference’s first team.
Cohen, the Ranger special teams captain this season, was one of four unanimous selections to the All-Conference first team and the only KC representative.
“Michael Cohen is as good a punter as there is in the country – that’s from junior college all the way up,” said KC head coach Jimmy Rieves. “Whoever ends up getting him next season will be very pleased and very fortunate. He’ll do a very good job.”
The Cypress Falls product finished the year ranked first in the SWJCFC, booming 36 punts for 1,519 yards – a 43-yard average. With his longest of the year being a 61-yarder in the season finale, Rieves says it’s plain to see Cohen’s greatest attribute – consistency.
“He can adjust to kick it long, adjust to kick it short and put it wherever he wants,” Rieves said. “If you want him to kick for distance he can and if you want him to kick for height he can. He was a very important weapon on our football team.
“If Mike wasn’t back there punting for us, our backs would have really been against the wall all season,” Rieves continued. “He alters your entire offensive game plan. If you’re in trouble, he can bail you out of it and you can take more chances with play calling because he’ll make up the difference if things don’t work out. We never had to worry about field position because of everything he brings to the table.”
This is the second time in 2005 Cohen has been recognized by the SWJCFC after earning special teams player of the week honors against Tyler in week six. Against the Apaches, he punted the ball five times for 248 yards with a long of 53. He thundered out an average of 49.6 yards per punt and downed three balls inside the Tyler 15-yard line, keeping them pinned deep all afternoon.
“We’ve had a lot of good punters come through here since I’ve been at Kilgore,” Rieves continued. “From here, one went on to Sam Houston State and another went on to kick at Purdue. Michael is a better than both. He’s athletic and has a very strong leg.”
Arizona, Kansas State, Louisville and Nebraska are among the schools having contacted Cohen.
Kilgore College
Sports Information Office
Contact: Chris Moore
(903) 983-8181
cmoore@kilgore.edu
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