Maryland commitment Nick Ferrara isn't your average kicker.

At FriarSports.com, a Web site covering St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) High School football, Ferrara leads an online poll asking for the team’s MVP with 35 percent of the vote.

So there’s little if any exaggeration when St. Anthony’s coach Rich Reichert discusses his standout specialist.

“Oh, he was the best kicker we’ve ever had, and we’ve had some good kickers,” Reichert said. “There were a couple games where he was definitely the difference.”

His absence in the first game of St. Anthony’s season was a good example of the impact Ferrara had on his team.

“Against St. Joseph’s down in Philly, he had hurt his foot and didn’t play for us,” Reichert said. “We missed an extra point and didn’t have the field position that we got the rest of the season [with Ferrara kicking].”

The Friars lost, 7-6. Ferrara, 6 feet 1, 195 pounds, returned to the lineup the following week and stayed there for the rest of the season. He helped lead St. Anthony’s to a 9-3 record and a runner-up finish in the New York Catholic High School Football League.

On the season, Ferrara converted 14 of 16 field-goal attempts (including a 47-yarder) and 46 of 48 extra points. He set a St. Anthony’s record with 88 points and set a Long Island record with 14 field goals. Ferrara was named to Newsday's All-Long Island team.

According to Reichert, Ferrara’s impressive senior season went beyond his kicking statistics.

“On kickoffs, probably about 75 or 80 percent went into the end zone. He was really invaluable for us when it came to field position,” Reichert said. “There were so many games where he had such an influence. He had a perfect onside kick in one game, three field goals in another, pinning people inside the 20 [on punts]. He was really accepted by the whole team because he is a good athlete.”

Ferrara, who also served as St. Anthony’s scout team quarterback, made major improvements as the Friars’ punter.

“I thought his punting has gotten a lot better; [especially] his directional punting,” Reichert said. “He started working on all the little things. We always knew he had a great leg. He came up as a junior and did some directional punting and onside kicks. That’s what he really worked on between [his] junior and senior year.”

From what Reichert has heard, Ferrara could challenge for the punting job later in his Maryland career. But as a true freshman, Ferrara has a good chance to take over for Obi Egekeze as the Terps’ placekicker.

“Obviously he’s got to be able to handle the pressure,” Reichert said. “But I don’t see him having a problem with that. I think he’s as good as a lot of guys I see on TV right now.”