Signing day: Mt. Spokane kicker Ethan Moczulski ‘finally’ signs with Texas A&M

It’s not often that an area’s highest-profile football recruit is a kicker, especially from the Pacific Northwest.

But that just goes to show how good a kicker Mt. Spokane’s Ethan Moczulski is.

“I think that’s awesome,” he said. “Kickers are football players too.”

The nationally recruited high school All-American signed his national letter of intent to play at Texas A&M in a ceremony in the high school’s library surrounded by family and friends Wednesday, the first day of early signing period for football.

The presentation of his All-American jersey aired Wednesday evening on NBC Sports.

Moczulski verbally committed a while ago, but he was happy to finally sign on the dotted line.

“It’s a dream come true, finally,” he said.

Committing relieved some of the pressure that comes with recruitment, but it added a different type of pressure.

“I just wanted to prove myself during the season, why I got the offer from A&M,” Moczulski said. “I was just working hard to show why I was the man for the job. Putting pen to the paper is a pretty big relief. I’m excited to start making kicks for the Aggies.”

He knew College Station was the place for him right off the bat.

“It was a perfect environment for me,” he said. “Right when I first stepped on campus, I fell in love with it. The coaching staff is really incredible.”

The temperature in Texas doesn’t hurt either.

“The warm weather is amazing, compared to kicking in Washington,” Moczulski said. “The SEC is the best there is. That played a big part too, having such a successful school I could be a part of.”

ESPN and 247Sports.com credited the Aggies with recruiting the No. 1 class in the nation.

Moczulski has been participating in kicking camps for several years, where he refined his technique and helped increase his exposure during the recruiting process.

“Without those (camps) I would not be here today,” he said. “Ever since my first kicking camp, it just helped build improvement and consistency. And it helped reaching out to coaches, and the rankings from those camps really helps.”

Moczulski was a big part of the Wildcats’ offense. Every time Mt. Spokane moved the ball over the 50-yard line, the coaches felt like they were in field goal range. The Wildcats definitely took advantage of the high school rule that places the ball at the 20 for a missed field goal instead of the spot of the kick, essentially turning misses into punts. Moczulski didn’t mind the hit his field goal percentage took.

“It definitely could have been higher, but I like being put in those situations,” he said. “I had five or six kicks from over 50 yards and two of those were 60-plus. It’s definitely a good experience to be able to have your team trust you with those kicks.”

“He has put so much work in, on and off the field,” Mt. Spokane coach Terry Cloer said. “He’s made a huge impact over the past three years. We are so proud that he’s going to the next level and for him to earn a scholarship in the SEC is an amazing accomplishment.”

Even though Moczulski isn’t the biggest high school football player, he is one of the most powerful.

“We do a lot of explosive workouts (to build leg strength),” he said. “Over the past year or so that’s really helped my leg speed and power. Hitting the ball feels amazing now.”

He’s especially proud of his kickoffs and ability to generate touchbacks, taking the ball out of the returner’s hands.

“I’ve always had quite a strong leg,” he said. “Fine-tuning those (run-up) steps and the contact and technique to kick off has really helped my distance and touchbacks in general.”

As a dedicated kicker from Spokane, Moczulski has a natural hero to look up to.

“I have a signed Jason Hanson jersey in my basement,” he said. “He’s one of my biggest inspirations and I wanted to be just like him when I was younger. After I stopped playing soccer that was my biggest goal, was to make it into the NFL like he did and prove my name being from Washington.”

Moczulski didn’t take long to describe his favorite high school football memory.

“Last year’s Battle of the Bell,” he said. “I think I had 10 points and one of those was a 55-yarder. It definitely helped our team win that game. That was my favorite moment.”