On Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, Quakertown seniors Kyle Baskin and Jake Bovard were recognized for committing to play football at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
“They couldn’t be more opposite – they’re both going to play football, both great institutions to play at,” coach George Banas said. “What we get out of Kyle is totally different than what we get out of Jake. Kyle is scoring touchdowns, kissing babies, shaking hands. Jake is off in the corner kicking the ball in the net and talking to it.
“You don’t realize how much of a weapon Jake is on a Friday night where he can flip the field. Kyle was a weapon in being able to stretch the field, and inside the red zone just being able to toss the ball up in the end zone and he can out jump anybody.
“Going from Kyle’s one-handed catch he made on the Park Avenue side in our highlight film to Jake being able to punt the ball inside the 10 in our playoff games to pin them deep, they both were so important to this program and just great examples of what we want out of Quakertown football. Academic standards are extremely high and so are the athletic standards on the football field whether it’s Friday night or Saturday. I wish them all the luck, and I thank them very much for all they’ve done for us.”
Kyle Baskin – Columbia University (Football)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Columbia, Princeton, Bucknell, Penn
Reasons for choosing Columbia: “Definitely the team, the coaching staff and the kids and, of course, the city. I never really went up there until my camp up there last summer, and I didn’t get to see the city at all. When I went for my official visit, I loved it. They took us around – it was awesome, and I’m so glad I can spend the next four years there and possibly more.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Before the season started in 11th grade, my mom made me go a camp at Penn – Al Bagnoli’s camp back in the day when he used to coach there. I really liked him, and being a shy, small 11th grader, I didn’t think I could play on that level ever. It’s nice to know soon I’ll be up with those guys but on a different team.”
Coach George Banas says: “Kyle came on the scene as a sophomore catching a touchdown at CB West. He really made his presence known as a junior. He had a concussion – we tried to get him back as soon as possible, and he really came on late. This year he was an absolute beast work ethic-wise, putting in the time and effort that we needed. Obviously, he was recognized by a school like Columbia with (high) academic standards as well. I have him in class this year, and he’s an absolute pleasure to have in class.
About Kyle:
Favorite food: Steak or Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Favorite movie: Captain America
Favorite music: All Types
Jake Bovard – United States Air Force Academy (Football)
Major: Political Science
Final list of colleges: Air Force Academy, Cornell
Reasons for choosing the Air Force Academy: “I had originally been committed to Cornell, which obviously is a fantastic school, but I was getting no financial air whatsoever. Out of the blue, Air Force started contacting me and eventually offered a full ride. I committed in early January. I visited the campus, and it’s a fantastic campus.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I only started punting to possibly start in varsity games in eighth grade. I never, ever considered college football. My dad wanted me to play football just to learn some character or something along those lines.
“My sophomore into my junior year I realized – I’m actually semi-decent at this, so I started working at it, taking some lessons. I had a lot to learn because I was a bit late to the game with the whole recruiting thing. I had no idea what I was doing, so I started going to camps and getting nationally ranked (27th). It was fantastic – I’ve met a couple of NFL guys, and they’ve given me pointers. I’ve met a lot of college guys, and they’ve given me a lot more help.”
Coach George Banas: The ultimate compliment you can give a kid like Jake is he is a punter. If anybody knows the sport, kickers and punters are different. They have their own personality that is a little bit different than a true typical football player personality like Kyle and a bunch of his teammates. Jake honed his craft. He worked on his craft and sometimes got yelled at for kicking into the rest of the team and things like that, but he truly loved punting and was a huge, huge part of our program the last two years. He led the state in punts inside the 20, he led in average and was a two-time all-state punter.”
About Jake:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite movie: Monty Python & the Holy Grail
Favorite music: Alternative Rock & Smooth Jazz
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