FOUNTAIN LAKE -- A Fountain Lake exchange student will be kicking a different kind of football for the Cobras tonight.

Germany native Mats Koller arrived at Fountain Lake from Berlin at the start of this school year and had never stepped on an American football field. Instead, his background was in a sport that most of the world knows as football: soccer.

After hearing the Fountain Lake football team needed a kicker, Koller decided to introduce himself to head coach Kenny Shelton and give it a try. After booming extra points through the uprights and then knocking down some field goals from 45 yards out, Koller was an instant hit.

"I didn't have the plan to play football," Koller said. "I was just coming in for my exchange year. I wanted actually to play soccer on a local soccer team. Then I thought, 'Ah maybe I just try to play football because I heard they need a new kicker.' Because I play soccer I was thinking, 'Ah, maybe it could be a good idea.' Now I'm here and I like it. It's good."

Koller held no previous experience in kicking the egg-shaped football but said there weren't too many challenges in adapting to the shape of the new ball.

"I just know how to kick a soccer ball and I just tried on a football," he said. "It's a bit different because a soccer ball is round. I tried to kick it like a soccer ball and it works."

The German will also be on kickoff duties for the Cobras, and he learned to change his technique when looking to boot the football downfield in hopes of a touchback.

When a player attempts a shot toward goal in a soccer game, that player is instructed to lean over the ball and drive through the strike on most occasions. Leaning over the ball eliminates unnecessary lift so the shot won't sail over the crossbar.

"When I do a kickoff I have to kind of lean a bit more back and swing my leg a bit higher because I want to get the football kick high," Koller said. "Soccer ball is just straight on the goal. So it's a bit different."

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Koller played defense on the soccer pitch back home. While defenders in soccer sometimes have to make clearances downfield that can be a bit lofted and steal the ball from other players with a technique called tackling, the Germany native said clearances and other parts of soccer do not really translate to the gridiron.

"I know how to tackle in soccer, and I never tackled in football," Koller said. "It's different I think."

Koller's first kicks for Fountain Lake in practice happened in regular shoes because he did not have his soccer cleats with him at the time.

"I was a bit nervous," Koller said. "I was not that happy with the results but still I was happy that the coach said, 'Good kicks' and stuff like that."

Soccer players tried to kick for Fountain Lake in the past, but it never quite worked.

"They were never actually able to kick a football like they kicked a soccer ball," Shelton said. "The first day while the guys were lifting I brought him out here and he already started kicking off really well. His legs just really showed the power and how intense he was on watching. Just a few minutes of teaching him how to do it and it looked like he'd been doing it his whole life."

When Shelton realized the potential in Koller's leg, the head coach kept backing him farther away from the goal posts.

"It was like every 5 yards a better feeling," Koller said. "Because I said, 'Oh I made the field goal.' Then the next 5 yards I made it again. Then I was just happy. Awesome feeling."

The Fountain Lake team rallied around the new kicker very quickly. Shelton created the nickname "Das Boot" for Koller. In German, the phrase translates literally to "the boat."

However, Shelton coined the name to highlight the power in Koller's soccer boots. Even though Koller admitted the idea behind the nickname was kind of lost in translation on him, it still helps him on the field

"The first day it was awesome," Koller said. "It was hyper. They all scream at me like every kick. 'Oh yeah, Mats! Das Boot! Das Boot!' It was awesome. I think the team supports me a lot. It helps me. ... Everybody screams, 'Das Boot!' Yeah, just a good feeling."

The Cobras start their season at Mountain Pine tonight, rekindling an old Garland County rivalry. This time, the two teams will meet on the 8-man field, and Koller's first real game involvement will come against the Red Devils.

"I'm nervous," he said. "I'm nervous. But I hope I just get a good kick off like 55 yards or something. Then maybe some field goals and I will be happy. Just win the game. Good team results. Good kickoffs and I'm happy."

Special teams tend to be diminished in 8-man football. Field goals and extra points can be hard to block for, so the Fountain Lake coaching staff made some adjustments to make sure Koller gets a chance to put points on the board.

"It's something we just haven't seen a whole lot on film," Shelton said. "That's one big concern is to see how teams are going to line up and see if we can actually block long enough to get the kick off."

Away from the football field, Koller came to the United States with a few jitters ahead of his exchange year. Now, both off the field and on it, Das Boot seems to be fitting in just fine.

"Actually at the beginning, I was kind of nervous, but right now I'm feeling awesome," Koller said. "I would say I'm having a really, really good time here. The people are nice. I think Arkansas, Hot Springs, is different to Berlin but it's awesome. I like it here. I'm happy right now."

Print Headline: WATCH: Cobras to debut ‘Das Boot’ at Mountain Pine

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