In two seasons as West Linn's kicker, Gage Hurych has made all but one field goal and one extra point. (Photo by Jon Olson)

It wasn't long ago that West Linn's Gage Hurych was so committed to lacrosse, he made multiple trips to East Coast camps every summer.

But that began to change during the summer of 2021, when Hurych became intrigued by his potential as a football kicker and punter.

“With lacrosse, your summer is super taken up, so I didn't really have any time for the kicking camps,” he said. “I was practicing kicking more and more on my own, and it was something that I was really starting to love. So I thought, 'I might as well go to one of these camps just to see how I stack up.'”

Hurych, who grew up playing soccer, had kicked for his football teams since the sixth grade. But it wasn't until he attended a Chris Sailer Kicking Camp in Las Vegas in the summer before his sophomore year -- and earned a No. 21 national ranking for his class – that it became his priority.

“I was like, 'OK, geez, this could be something serious,'” Hurych said. “So I started to go to more camps, and I started practicing more on my own. It stuck with me, and I started getting attention from colleges, and it slowly shifted me from lacrosse to football.”

Now Hurych, after stellar sophomore and junior seasons in which he made all but one extra point and 8 of 9 field-goal attempts for West Linn, is looking at a big-time future in football.

Rated as the No. 11 kicker in the nation for the Class of 2024 by 247Sports, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Hurych committed to Oregon in late June. Oregon State also showed interest, and he made multiple visits to both schools, but he said Oregon was his “dream school.”

“Oregon is just a very, very special place,” Hurych said. “Oregon State had its perks, as well, but everything about Oregon felt right when I went there. The connection I had with the coaches instantly was unbelievable. It was something that I hadn't experienced anywhere else. It felt like home from Day 1.”

Hurych said the Ducks had been looking at him since he attended an Oregon camp in the summer of 2021. They offered him at a camp this summer and he accepted a week later.

“This last camp I went to, I think I really stood out, not only in the kicking aspect, but in the punting aspect,” he said. “They really liked that I had the ability to kick field goals, kick off and punt all at the DI level.”

Hurych – whose father, Matthew, briefly played for Kansas City of Major League Soccer and whose mother, Michelle Noble, was a Junior Olympic swimmer -- is more than just a kicker. He also plays cornerback and receiver.

“The thing that stands out about Gage is how athletic he is,” West Linn coach Jon Eagle said. “He's just an exceptional athlete. He can dunk. And he's one of the fastest kids on our team.”

Last season, Hurych helped West Linn win the 6A title. He recorded touchbacks on 88 percent of his kickoffs and made four field goals, including a clutch 35-yarder in the state final against Sheldon that opened a 23-14 lead with 3:44 left.

He rarely punted, though, due to West Linn's dynamic offense and the fact that he suffered a broken arm in the seventh game and was relegated to just placekicking for a period. He displayed his punting skills in the state final, averaging 38.8 yards on four attempts and pinning the Irish at their 13 and 1-yard lines.

“That was huge because we were playing good defense, and that put them on a long field,” Eagle said. “He delivered when it was the most important.”

The broken arm also forced him out of his starting cornerback role, a setback that had a silver lining.

“Not being gassed from playing corner the whole game definitely gave me fresher legs,” Hurych said. “And I felt like I was a lot more focused on kicking. Corner was pretty new to me, and starting there was definitely taking most of my focus. So it definitely helped when I went back to just kicking.”

Hurych didn't get to show off his field-goal range in games – his only miss was a 52-yard attempt that was swept wide by the wind – but was steady in practice. He said he has hit from 65 yards in a solo workout and connects on about 85-90 percent of his tries from 50-55 yards in practice.

During special teams periods in practice, Eagle sometimes sets up Hurych for a 55-yard try and has players line up on opposite sides of the field, divided by whether they think he can make the kick.

“The loser has to do push-ups,” Eagle said. “He usually kills it.”

Eagle has had more than his share of excellent kickers during his coaching career. At Camas (Wash.), his teams featured college-bound kickers such as Andrew Boyle (Oregon), Caleb Lightbourn (Oregon State, Idaho), Roldan Alcobendas (Eastern Washington) and Bryce Leighton (Montana State).

Eagle said Hurych “100 percent” belongs in that company.

“He's got a really live leg,” Eagle said.

As a senior, Hurych will get a chance to play cornerback and receiver as well as kicker and punter. The Lions rarely have to settle for field goals, but Hurych will be ready for the moment.

“I'm hoping I get a couple long field goals,” he said. “I'd love the opportunity for a couple game-winners. That's always the hope.”

West Linn graduated much of its firepower from last season, however, the Lions are ready to reload, according to Hurych.

“West Linn's always got guys nobody knows about,” he said. “Our second- and third-string guys could start at pretty much any other high school. We have a ton of talent this year.”