Pressure, Precision, Points: Why Kickers Might Be the Most Underrated Weapon

Londons Special Teams Performance Stood Out Above All

When the London Warriors entered the fourth quarter against the Alpine Rams, the scoreboard read a nine-point deficit. A two-score game with 15 minutes left on the clock, and a player who would carry the decisive moment on his foot.

London stayed patient, clawing its way back step by step. Reiss Ormonde-Cunningham opened the comeback with a 36-yard field goal, cutting the gap to 20:26. Moments later, it looked as though Alpine held the game in their own hands, but a blocked field goal attempt handed the Warriors one final chance, and London took it without hesitation. Quarterback Karé Lyles marched his offense through a ten-play, 66-yard drive before running back Tyrrell Bovelle punched it in from three yards out with 38 seconds remaining. The extra point that followed gave the Warriors their first lead of the game, and sealed the win for the visitors.

Credit is due to London’s defense, which delivered a strong fourth quarter of its own. But it was kicker Reiss Ormonde-Cunningham whose performance stood out above all.

Special Teams: One of the Most Underrated Disciplines in Football

There’s a good reason for that. Field goals and extra points are arguably one of the most underrated disciplines in American football. Every kick depends on a chain of moving parts working in perfect sync: snap, hold, timing, conditions; all coming together in a matter of seconds. And yet, statistically, kickers are often the highest point-scorers on any given roster, frequently the difference between a win and a loss. Despite that, they rarely get the recognition. There’s no highlight-reel catch, no diving effort into the end zone, just a quiet, high-pressure routine that either works or doesn’t, with the scoreboard as the only judge.

Ormonde-Cunningham himself put that pressure into words after the game: „I told everyone this week, that the game is gonna come down to me and I was manifesting it every single day. So I knew it was always on.“ He added: „It wasn’t my best kick of the day, I would admit that, but it went through at the end of the day so I’m happy.“

For the Warriors, currently sitting at 3-4 in a tight playoff race, moments like these carry weight far beyond a single weekend. In a league where every game can come down to a handful of points, a reliable leg in the kicking game isn’t a luxury, it’s a competitive advantage that can decide whether a season ends in the postseason or on the outside looking in.

If London wants to close the gap and secure a playoff spot down the stretch, performances like Ormonde-Cunningham’s won’t just be nice to have. They could be what the season ultimately hinges on.