Barton suffered a tough loss at Emory & Henry on Saturday, but the kicking game provided a statistical highlight.
Freshman Andrew Bontekoe booted a 77-yard punt in the third quarter, the longest recorded punt in the state of North Carolina this season. Barton faced fourth-and-seven at its own 23. Bontekoe’s kick reached the end zone at the other end of the field, resulting in a touchback.
Bontekoe from Charlotte (Ardrey Kell HS) also had punts of 48 and 52 yards in the game. He made the most of a fumble on another fourth-down play, rushing for 26 yards and a first down.
There have been three punts this season of more than 70 yards in our state. Charlotte’s Michael O’Shaughnessy knocked one 73 yards against Gardner-Webb in week three. North Carolina Wesleyan’s Braxtyn Green recorded a 71-yarder against Huntingdon on Saturday, one of five punts that covered more than 50 yards for him.
While Elon’s Jeff Yurk has yet to reach 70 yards with a single kick, he has hit multiple punts of more than 60 yards and has the best punting average (48.91 ypg) in all of FCS. He leads that category by nearly a full yard. His average would rank fourth among FBS punters.
Here are the top five longest punts this season by a North Carolina collegiate player:
1. Andrew Bontekoe (Barton | D2): 77 yards, week 4 against Emory & Henry
2. Michael O’Shaughnessy (Charlotte | FBS): 73 yards, week 3 against Gardner-Webb
3. Braxtyn Green (North Carolina Wesleyan | D3): 71 yards, week 4 against Huntingdon
4. Darius Satterfield (Elizabeth City State | D2): 69 yards in week two against Chowan
5. Jack Brady (Campbell | FCS): 66 yards, week 1 at Liberty
