Oakland Mills senior Nate Frimpong was the subject of a Howard County Q&A. The native of Brighton, England, moved to Columbia in 2006 and he has been kicking footballs since. Last week, he kicked a 41-yard field goal with three seconds left that earned his team its first victory of the season.

Frimpong has a 3.4 grade point average in his honors classes and he is 3-for-3 with field goals of 35, 37 and 41 yards going into Friday night's home game against Mt. Hebron.

Here are a few more comments from Frimpong that did not make the Howard County section of The Baltimore Sun.

How different is it kicking a football from kicking a soccer ball?

"Kicking the ball is different because of the shape of it, your position on the ball and, obviously, you’re trying to get it higher than you would a soccer ball – and straight. Most of the time, when I’m trying to kick a soccer ball, I’m trying to curve it. With a football I’m trying to get it as straight as possible.

"It’s not hard, it’s just a different technique to learn. It’s not harder. I’d say it is easier. Because of the shape of the football you can get it a lot higher. After awhile, you pick up what you have to do. I kick it a third of the way up with my laces and drive my foot straight through it."

Is it the power or the follow-through that gets the distance?

"I think it’s the follow-through and where I hit it. If I hit it too low, it’s going to go too high and if I hit it too high, it’s not going to go as high. There’s a perfect sweet spot when I hit it and I know it has the distance because of the way it feels."

Do you wear soccer or football cleats?

"Soccer cleats. They’re a lot more shaped around my foot and a lot lighter. I have a pair, size 12 that fit my feet perfect. "

Are you looking for a football scholarship as a kicker?

"Yeah. I’ve not been contacted yet, but the coaches say that it could happen. That’s what I’m aiming for."

What do you want to major in?

"Architectural design. I’ve always liked drawing and designing houses. My father was a realtor for many years in London. I like looking at architecture that [hasn't] been finished yet, like apartment complexes or condos. How it looks from paper to the actual inside of the building. You have to be specific in details. Math, a couple of the sciences – like physics.

Do you have a hobby?

"Drawing, designing and traveling."

I heard from your coach that you are well traveled. Where have you been?

"Most places in Europe, Africa, Gibraltar, Ghana, Egypt, Israel. I’m going to Las Vegas in November to watch a boxing fight with my dad. And just last summer we toured Asia, Hong Kong, China and Thailand. My dad went on a business trip two years ago and really liked it. It was really nice. The food was really nice. The people were really friendly. We were there 3 1/2 weeks. We were looked after very well and saw all the sights tourists see and the real parts, behind the scenes. They’re not used to seeing black people there, but they were really friendly. It wasn’t a racist thing, it was a surprise thing. You could see it on their faces. Me and my dad were walking through one mall with two of his Chinese friends and people were literally like shocked. ... They just stare really hard. Some little kids really had never seen a black person before.

"A place near China, called Macau, it’s like the new Vegas. My dad has been to both and he said Macau is looking bigger and better than Vegas and it’s amazing how quickly the buildings are going up. And in Hong Kong we saw some apartments and bars and restaurants [that] are like on the 60th floor with waterfalls and pools outside. We looked at a couple of new apartment complexes opening up, too."

What schools would you like to attend?

"In state, definitely Morgan State. Maybe Penn State. It may be too big, but if a football scholarship came, I’d look at the big schools. If not, something smaller, like Morgan."

Do you get a lot of comments about your accent?

"When I first came here it was obviously hard and irritating at times. ‘Talk to me, Talk to me.’ Or they would deliberately make me repeat stuff, just to hear it again. Now, it’s not so bad. It’s just something I bring to the table."

-- Sandra McKee