Former Shelby High football and soccer standout Jack Berkowitz figured he’d always remember his first college field goal. Little did he know plenty others would have a vested interest in the Elon freshman kicker’s first career attempt.
Berkowitz’s 28-yard field goal with one second left put a lid on the Phoenix’s 37-17 loss at Wake Forest last Thursday. In addition to booting his first career field goal through the uprights, he connected on two extra points.
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The Shelby native’s field goal sent shockwaves through betting circles, however. Berkowitz’s last-second field goal pushed the combined point total between Elon and Wake Forest to 54, just above the over/under bet of 53.5 points set by BetMGM.
Among those who took notice was ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, who led off his “Bad Beats” segment of the Sept. 4 edition of “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” with Berkowitz’s kick.
A four-year letter winner at Shelby, he helped the Golden Lions to NCHSAA state titles in the 2019 and fall 2021 seasons. Berkowitz holds the school’s all-time record for kicking points (210). In addition, he helped Shelby to the 2A state soccer championship in 2021.
Berkowitz returns to familiar surroundings Saturday as Elon visits Gardner-Webb. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at Ernest Spangler Stadium in Boiling Springs. Both teams are 0-1.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Elon football kicker Jack Berkowitz on ESPN SportsCenter’s Bad Beats
