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ORLANDO, Fla. - Lake Nona senior kicker Robert ‘Trey’ Butkowski has only been playing football for two years, but that hasn’t stopped him from setting records with his field goal accuracy.
"I have 100% confidence in myself. I try to take the pressure off as much as possible," Butkowski said.
Last Friday, during Lake Nona’s 36-7 win over Timber Creek, he nailed a 58-yard field goal, setting a new record for the longest field goal in Orlando-area high school history. The previous record, also 58 yards, was originally set by two players in 2006.
"In the 4th quarter, we were up by a lot, so we decided to give it a shot from 58, and it connected," Butkowski said. "The main thing I was thinking was not overswinging it. We’ve done it in practice a million times."
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Although Butkowski is relatively new to football, he’s a lifelong athlete. He played soccer for 14 years and still competes in lacrosse. However, the transition from soccer to football wasn’t seamless.
"But I feel like once I settled down and decided to have fun with it, instead of putting a lot of pressure on myself, it was just good times from there," he said.
College teams are taking notice. Butkowski has an offer from Arkansas State and is drawing interest from Pitt, Cincinnati, and even Ohio State.
The recognition is well-deserved, but for now, he’s focused on helping his team win.
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