HOUSTON, Tex. — Lowndes High kicker Jed Solomon took first place in a competition, while teammate Matt Mackenstein placed third, fourth and fourth in three different competitions, at the third annual Combine Series National Kicking Competition on Jan. 3-4 at Rice University.

Solomon beat eight other kickers from the all over the United States to win the kickoff competition. Solomon had the longest kickoff among junior varsity kickers, a 72-yarder. In the qualifying rounds, he had kickoffs of 66, 63, 63 and 56 yards, with an average hang time of 3.2 seconds. Then in the head-to-head elimination rounds, his kickoffs traveled 61, 58, 64 and 62 yards. In the finals, his kickoffs traveled 65 and 61 yards.

Solomon came to Houston as the only competitor in the junior varsity field goal division to have gone 10-for-10 during the regional competitions. His overall average for field goals made in the three regional competitions was 85 percent (34-of-40), and his overall average in the semifinals was 80 percent (16-of-20). In the national competition, Solomon attempted kicks on regulation college uprights (18 feet by 6 feet) and made 70 percent of his kicks in the first round.

His performance at the competition attracted the attention of several kicking instructors.

“As a retired NFL kicker of nine years and an owner of a kicking academy, I have seen a wide variety of young kickers, and believe that Jed Solomon is one of the best I’ve seen. His drive for perfection, hard work ethic and his deceptively strong leg will one day make him very successful,” said former NFL kicker Mike Hollis, who now runs ProForm Kicking Academy.

“I think Jed is a great kicker and good punter. He has come a long way from when we first saw him two years ago. Lowndes is very lucky to have him on their team,” said Chris McInally of Top Recruit Kicking, Inc. “That Jed can put the kind of numbers up that he did in the finals, with all the pressure that comes with this competition, only tells me that the pressure of the game should not bother him. One more thing you have to remember is that he is in 10th grade and he actually out-kicked a lot of players in the finals that competed at the varsity and college level.”

“Young kicker, very accurate field goal kicker, has lots of potential, depending on how he develops, has the ability to be a four- or five-star as a senior,” was the assessment of Marc Feuerbach of Premier Kicking.

“Of all the kickers I’ve seen from the class of 2011, Jed Solomon is in the Top 10 in the country. Division I schools should definitely keep an eye on him,” added Brandon Kornblue of the Kornblue Kicking School, Inc.

Solomon kicked on Lowndes’ junior varsity team last year as a sophomore, and also saw some action with the varsity. He is the frontrunner to be the Vikings’ kicker next season.

Solomon has been a starting placekicker the past four seasons, first at Hahira Middle School, then at Lowndes. He was perfect on 38 extra point attempts the last two seasons. He made 2-of-3 field goal attempts, with a long of 38 yards. He also kicked a 53-yard field goal in practice last season.

“I enjoy knowing that I can make a difference in a game by making a field goal or extra point, or making a great punt or kickoff that pins a team deep in their end of the field,” Solomon said. “I also work real hard to keep my grades at a high enough level to get into a major university.”

Mackenstein also had a strong performance in Houston.

In the freshman division, Mackenstein finished third in the punting competition, with an average punt of 38 yards and an average hang time of three seconds.

Mackenstein also finished fourth in the field goal competition, making 60 percent of his field goals on regulation college uprights. His longest field goal attempts were made from 38 yards and 42 yards. Mackenstein also competed in the kickoff competition and finished fourth with an average kickoff of 48 yards, and a hang time of 2.60 seconds. Mackenstein earned medals in all three competitions.

Like Solomon, Mackenstein also earned recognition for his performance.

“Matt is a good kicker and punter. He has improved a lot since he started a little over a year ago. For Matt to go as far as he did in the combine series says a lot about how hard he has worked on his kicking and punting,” said former Valdosta State punter Andy Gibbs, who now works with Top Recruit Kicking.

“Matt has really impressed me with his ability to focus under pressure and perform well,” Hollis said. “He, too, has the great strive for perfection and hard work ethic, and will kick at a high level throughout his kicking career.”

“Very young kicker, has potential to improve as he gets older, showed improvement in a short amount of time from regional to semifinal,” was Feuerbach’s assessment.

“Matt is a very good kicker and punter. He is eager to be the best kicker he can be, and you will hear a lot about him in the future,” said Craig Solomon, his kicking coach.

The Lowndes High freshman regularly hits 40-plus yard field goals in practice, with a long of 45 yards, while making 75 percent of his extra points during the 2008 LHS freshman season.

“I kick a lot of footballs each day of practice,” Mackenstein said. “I’ve also been really working on my punting ability, which is completely different from kicking a 40-yard field goal. I also work real hard to keep my grades at a high enough level to get into a major university.”

Solomon and Mackenstein have worked with Hollis, McInally, Feuerbach and Gibbs. They primarily train with Solomon’s father, Craig, as does Jed’s younger brother Will. They also appreciate the support of their coaches in the Lowndes football program.

“If it weren’t for coaches like Lowndes High football head coach Randy McPherson, Lowndes kicking coach Trey Byrd, Lowndes ninth grade head coach Joe Mederos and Hahira Middle School head football coach Lance Eckdahl giving me a chance, I might not be a kicker. Thanks coaches,” said Solomon, while also acknowledging the team’s other special teams players.