How 2 North Texas kickers have hand (and foot) in UIL high school football early season success

Buck's Ballpark: Denton Guyer’s Ford Stinson, Highland Park’s Sutton Stock both post strong showings in Week 1

Denton Guyer placekicker Ford Stinson / Ford Stinson

Most coaches, when asked what usually will be key to a game, especially a season-opening one, will mention special teams.

While offense and defense most definitely can dictate the eventual outcome of a game, there’s a reason it’s called special teams. And even more so in a season opener, with so many uncertainties swirling around, from heavy title favorites to teams just hoping to improve on the year before.

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A pair of standout Texas high school placekickers from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex certainly did their part in helping their respective teams prevail in Week 1 season openers.

Denton Guyer placekicker Ford Stinson made all four of his field-goal attempts on Aug. 30, including a key 25-yarder with 4:28 left for the final five-point margin as the Wildcats ended two-time 5A Division I champion Aledo’s 30-game win streak with a 35-30 win.

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Stinson’s performance was part of a Guyer special teams unit that accounted for all 23 of its first-half points.

Along with three field goals and two PATs, Guyer also got touchdowns on a blocked punt from Zach De Anda, who took it in from 15 yards out, and an 83-yard kickoff return TD from Corbin Glasco to end the first half, after Aledo took a 23-16 lead with eight seconds left. 

The night before, Highland Park - in its first game as a 5A DI member after going 11-2 and making the 6A DI regional semifinals last season - picked up a solid 34-21 road win at Rockwall-Heath.

While Scots’ sophomore quarterback Buck Randall turned in a breakout performance, passing for two TDs and running for another, and Angus Wall returned an interception 98 yards for yet another TD, it was also a huge night for junior kicker Sutton Stock.

Stock - in his first game as the Scots’ starting kicker - kicked a school-record 46-yard field goal and added another one from 33 yards out. He also made all four of his PAT attempts and also had two touchbacks.

The 46-yard field goal made by Stock occurred in the second quarter, which gave Highland Park a 17-7 lead. His other came midway through the third quarter, putting the Scots up by 13, 27-14.

Stinson and Stock seek to help continue their teams’ important special teams play in Week 2 on Friday night. Guyer is at home again to take on Arlington Martin, while Highland Park plays its home opener against Lucas Lovejoy.

Both players talked about their pivotal kicking performances in a Q&A session.

‘Yes, It Was A Career High’

With Denton Guyer senior kicker Ford Stinson

Denton Guyer placekicker Ford Stinson / Ford Stinson

SBLive: You went 4-for-4 in field goal attempts in the win last week. Was that a career high for you and what was really working for you the other night being able to kick those field goals, not to mention going 3-for-3 on PATs?

Ford Stinson: Yes it was a career high for me on made and attempted field goals. It was really just another day in the office for us on special teams just getting the job done and doing what we are supposed to do.

SBLive: The first half scoring was unusual in that all 23 points came on special teams (three FGs, two PATs, a kickoff return and a blocked punt return). How 'special,' no pun intended, was it to be able to win a game like that on special teams?

Stinson: We really stress special teams and work on it a lot, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when we had those big plays on special teams. But it’s great to see our hard work in practice paying off.

SBLive: What was going through your mind with eight seconds left in the first half and Aledo just scored that TD. Did you think you were going to see the field again right before half before Corbin ran back that kick?

Stinson: I’m going to be honest, I had my helmet off and was about to start walking over to the locker room, but with Corbin and D.J. (Reese) returning punts and kicks for us, I should probably be ready all the time.

SBLive: Also, what was your mindset on that last field goal attempt, knowing that was going to give your team a five-point lead and Aledo would have to score a TD to pull it off?

Stinson: I knew it was a big kick going into it, but just like any other kick, it doesn’t matter if it’s a 50 yarder or extra point, do the same routine every time and trust what I can do.

SBLive: It was the first win against Aledo since Guyer did it two years ago. Did you have a role in that win two years ago as well and how big was it to avenge last year's loss to them?

Stinson: Yes, I did have a role in the win two years ago; I believe i just kicked extra points because, well, we didn’t need to kick any field goals. It was huge to avenge what happened last year because the thing I remember most was driving away on the bus and looking out my window to see Aledo celebrating like they just won the Super Bowl, so it felt really good beating them.

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SBLive: How many years have you been the team's placekicker now and what do you feel like your strengths are as a kicker?

Stinson: I have been Denton Guyer’s placekicker for about four years now as I started my freshman year mainly on kickoff, but sophomore year, I fully took over the reigns. I feel my greatest strength has to be my accuracy; I know and have the confidence that I can hit the ball anywhere I want whatever the coaches need.

SBLive: How is your recruiting coming along and how were the kicking camps you went to this summer?

Stinson: My recruiting has been a little slow, I had a major setback in 2023 as I tore my labrum in my hip prior to the season. I ended up having to play through the injury the entire season and ended up getting surgery in November the day after we lost to Coppell. I hope that some college coaches will look at me; I am constantly sending out my film and doing everything I can to be seen because one of my biggest goals is to play football at the next level.

‘Keeping Calm and Focus’

With Highland Park junior kicker Sutton Stock

Highland Park placekicker Sutton Stock / Sutton Stock

SBLive: Was last week's game your first game as a varsity kicker or had you kicked in previous seasons? If it was your first game to kick, what was going through your mind pregame?

Stock: It wasn’t my first varsity game; however, it was my first time starting as the kicker. The pregame process differed heavily from last year on the (junior varsity) team. The pressure is much higher so stress is higher pregame. Ultimately, keeping calm and focus during the pregame warmup was key and what helped me keep my poise.

SBLive: Describe your overall performance in the win against Heath, especially the 46-yarder that you made and set up the situation leading to that kick.

Stock: My performance, in my eyes, was better than I could hope for. It’s hard to predict your involvement as a kicker in the first game, so field goal attempts were a big question of mine. I was grateful for the trust that our coaches have in our field goal unit’s ability to execute. Two field goals, one being a school record at 46 yards, is a great game to me. I thought our field goal unit as a whole operated well.

SBLive: What would you consider as your strengths as a kicker, or what do you feel like you do best when it comes to kicking the ball?

Stock: To be frank, I am still discovering what exactly my strengths as a kicker are. As I mentioned previously, this is my first season as the starter and kicking with actual pressure. I think I am able to strike the ball really well and confidently approach difficult field goals.

SBLive: The Scots took care of business in all three phases - offense, defense and special teams - in last week's win. What did you and the rest of the team do to have a big win like that against a good Heath squad?

Stock: Myself and the rest of the Scots find our success in rigorous preparation. Practice, practice, practice is our key to achieving the goals we set as a team. Studying film and then effectively planning based on our opponents tendencies is why the Scots achieve success on Friday nights.

SBLive: How has your recruiting coming along so far, and what kicking camps have you attended this summer going into the year?

Stock: Recruiting has been coming along nicely. Kickers usually are recruited much later than other skill players, so there haven’t been a bundle of offers flowing, meaning patience is the key in this process. I traveled to TCU, Texas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt over the summer to attend their specialist camps. All of those programs were incredible and hosted wonderful camps.

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-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX