Wilde Lake coach Doug DuVall introduces the Wildecats' kicker Graham Spicer this way: "Here is our Renaissance man," he said, describing him as a student with wide interests who is an expert in several of them.
"He is a neat kid," said DuVall. "He got 800 on his math SAT. He couldn't do any better than that."
Spicer, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior, has a 3.57 grade point average and has come through in the clutch this season. His other interests include music and playing Ultimate Frisbee.
In three early season games that Wilde Lake won by one, one and three points, Spicer kicked field goals in each of them.
The Wildecats have built a 10-1 record and are hosts for the 3A East regional championship game tomorrow, thanks in part to Spicer's 36-for-39 performance on extra points and his 3-for-5 effort on field goal attempts.
I understand you did extremely well on your math SAT.
I got a perfect score of 800. I'd been working toward it, but I had to take the test a second time to get it. I got 760 the first time because of careless mistakes. It was pretty irritating. I had gotten perfect scores on the practice tests we take, and the questions I missed were rated 'easy'. It was just a matter of losing concentration.
Did your coach have a few words to say about the concentration lapse? I know football coaches stress the need for concentration on the football field.
Focus is really important in football, especially in kicking. You only have one chance to get it right. Taking a test is a little different. Both require focus, but if you lose your focus for a few minutes during a test, you can make it up - either during that same test, by going back over your answers if you have time, or by taking it again. Focus is more important, I think, in kicking. You can take the SATs as many times as you want.
Do your teammates tease you a little about that perfect 800 score?
Some of them. Some ask how they can get better scores. One guy just keeps asking me what I got, over and over. I try to be humble. It's not a big deal. It shouldn't affect how someone else sees me or acts around me.
Are you going to major in science or math in college?
Yes. I want to major in one of them and continue to play football in college. We've made a list of about 10 schools and we're narrowing it down. I visited Johns Hopkins, Dickinson, Dartmouth, Colgate and Bucknell. I really want to go to a school with good academics, and if I can play football that would be nice.
