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Ward: 'I loved State'
		By Steve Williams Football Recruiting Analyst Posted Jul 2, 2008 Fayetteville (GA) Starr's Mill High punter Chris Ward talks to Pack Pride about his decision to commit to NC State.
Recruiting networks rarely devote much time or energy to covering punters but at least one publication devoted to the position named recent NC State commit Chris Ward from Starr’s Mill High School in Fayetteville, Ga the top punter prospect in the nation. Rafter Pro Training declared Ward as their top punter for the class of 2009 and after watching him in action it would be difficult to disagree. The rising senior hit the ball consistently throughout his workout at NC State supervised by Wolfpack special team’s coach Jerry Petercuskie. Ward nailed several punts in excess of 50 yards and had impressive hang time on nearly all of his kicks. During drills which tested his ability to drop kicks inside the 20, Ward put punt after punt out of bounds inside the 10 yard line. His hands were also tested and coach Petercuskie ran a drill that simulated receiving the snap from center. Petercuskie, standing roughly 10 feet away from Ward, would zip the ball into him at different angles. Ward handled them all cleanly including the ones that skirted along the ground. In all he proved to be the top punter out of nearly a dozen kickers that worked out at NC State. His efforts were rewarded with a scholarship offer to play for the Pack. After receiving notice of his offer this past Friday, Ward waited until his father arrived home on Saturday before a call was made to coach Petercuskie notifying him of his decision to run with the Pack. Ward told Pack Pride that the decision to commit to NC State was an easy one after seeing the Wolfpack program up close. “I loved State,” he said. “The facilities were unbelievable. I had never seen anything like them. Coach Petercuskie was a great guy and I felt like I could be coached by him and it was just the right place for me.” Ward added that he’s closed the book on recruiting and is now focused on his senior season and arrival in Raleigh for the 2009 season. “I’m done with all the other schools,” he said. “I cancelled all the other camps and NC State is my place. “I was looking at Memphis, Maryland, Georgia and then I was going to go to Michigan and they were pretty interested but I got the offer from NC State and I was like, I’m cancelling it and NC State is what I chose.” As a junior, Ward averaged nearly 42 yards per punt en route to all-county and all-region honors.

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Kicking the odds...	2008-07-10
By Cindy Morley
Chris Ward Chris Ward is kicking his way into the college ranks. And the upcoming Starr’s Mill senior is making quite a name for himself. Being touted by some as the top punter prospect in the nation for the Class of 2009, Ward has already punched his college ticket. The Panther punter recently committed to N.C. State, despite having a solid offer from Michigan, and interest from Georgia, Memphis and Maryland. “I went to a camp at NC State about two weeks ago, and a few days later they called and said ‘you are the guy,’” said Ward. “I wanted to wait for my dad (Mark Ward) to get home to talk with him, and when he did, we talked it over, and felt this was the best place for me. “My heart dropped when I got that call. It’s like a dream come true. “I knew I was going to Michigan soon, but I cancelled that trip once I got the offer. I knew where I wanted to be.” Ward, who earned all-county and all region honors as a punter last year as a junior, became only the fifth specialty teams player to commit early out of the Class of 2009. “You may have 30 punters and kickers getting full scholarships each year, and those usually come in December or January,” said Jimmy Rafter, of Rafter Pro Training in Peachtree City and a former professional kicker who coaches Ward. “For a punter to get an offer this early, in July, is amazing.” But Rafter isn’t surprised. “I told Chris and his parents that he would have scholarship offers coming in by the dozens,” said Rafter. “He is the best I’ve seen at the high school level. “His hand, eye, foot coordination is the best I’ve seen. “Not only is he talented athletically, he‘s also determined and a hard worker.” Rafter has been working with Ward a little more than a year and says the Panther punter definitely has a career in the NFL. Rafter says Ward has a consistent hangtime of 5.15 seconds, and expects him to get to 5.2 or 5.3 this season at Starr’s Mill. During a workout in front of the Wolfpack coaches a few weeks ago, Ward nailed several punts in excess of 50 yards. And during drills which tested his ability to drop kicks inside the 20, Ward put punt after punt out of bounds inside the 10-yard line. “Coach (Mike) Earwood (Starr’s Mill head coach) and I talked about Chris last year, and we both knew he was special,” said Rafter. Earwood believes his upcoming senior punter has “improved a great deal over the summer” and that could be a scary thought for Panther opponents. Ward averaged nearly 40 yards per punt as a junior last year. “He was good last year, but he’s worked hard in the off-season to become a great punter,” said Earwood. “He’s put himself on a higher echelon.” While Ward handled only punting duties at Starr’s Mill last year, he will be counted on for all kicking duties this season. “Last year, we had Sam Martin handle kicking and Chris handle punting,” said Earwood. “With Sam gone, we’ll be counting on Chris for everything.” Martin signed a full scholarship with three-time National Champion Appalachian State after his senior season. “Chris is every bit the kicker that Sam was and will take over the duties for us with no problem,” said Earwood. In fact, NC State has hinted that Ward might be used as a kicker as well. Another former Fayette player also handled both kicking and punting duties at NC State. Fayette County High graduate John Deraney had a solid career with the Wolfpack, and is now with the Detroit Lions. “John’s mother called us after she heard of the commitment,” said Debbie Ward, Chris’ mother. As Chris became more and more dedicated to football, he had to make a decision. He is one of the top goalies in the southeast, and last season had a .38 goals against average and gave up no goals in region competition. He will play soccer at Starr’s Mill this upcoming season, but has given up club soccer. “It was a tough decision to make, I’ve always played soccer,” said Ward. “But it was the right decision for me. I need to concentrate on football.” He also said he might play basketball again this winter at Starr’s Mill. With the commitment behind him, Ward said he hopes to go out and enjoy his senior season with the Panthers. “But I’m still going to concentrate on training and preparing for NC State,” he said. “I have a visit in August, and I plan to see what kind of workouts they want me to be doing. Maybe that will give me a head start for when I get there.” Seems he already has a leg up on the competition...

Starrs Mill Star Solid in Wolfpack Commitment
		By GAVSV Recruiting Report Posted Jul 1, 2008 Talented punter/kicker Chris Ward gave a verbal pledge to NC State this past weekend and he talks more about his decision with GAVSV.com inside.
A few days ago, Starrs Mill High kicker/punter Chris Ward ended his recruitment early when he gave a verbal commitment to North Carolina State. Tuesday, Ward shared with GAVSV.com what it was about the Wolfpack that made him want to commit to a program before the start of his senior year of high school football. "I just really like their campus," Ward said via cell phone. "NC State special teams) coach (Jerry) Petercuskie is a great coach and I just felt the most comfortable with him and with what the school has to offer." Ward plans on taking another look at his future school early next month. "They start practice on July 31 so I am going to go see them sometime after that," Ward said. As a junior last season, the 6-1, 170-pounder averaged 41.6 yards-per-punt while also starring on the Starrs Mill basketball and soccer squads. His athleticism and ability to consistently kick the ball makes him one of the top special teams players on the east coast and one that more colleges may show interest in later this year. But don't expect Ward to show any interest back. "I am definitely going to NC State," he said. "I am not sure what other schools will look at me but I have a whole year still to play. But it doesn't matter because I am firm to NC State."

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