Reader Lee Smith of Atchison contacted me today and gave me an extra tidbit concerning the use of drop kicks in the area.

For those who missed it, DeKalb senior Jimmy Derry successfully converted a drop kick conversion during a game two weeks ago against South Nodaway. The drop kick is an antiquated, legal form of making a field goal or an extra point.

On the play, a player takes a shotgun snap — usually 7 to 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage — drops the ball straight down and kicks it at the moment it touches the ground or shortly after.

Not much historical evidence has come forward on the use of the drop kick in Missouri high school history. Nevada's Ronnie Herda used it on multiple occasions two years ago, but little else seems to be known.

Well, Lee Smith was happy to report a memory from his past.

Smith recalls the late Dale Bruce using the drop kick with regularity as a player at Pickett High School in St. Joseph. Bruce graduated from Pickett in 1952 and competed in the now-defunct 6-man football.

Smith, a 1954 graduate of DeKalb, recalls that at the time in 6-man football, regular conversions garnered one point, while drop kick conversions were worth two. Smith added that Bruce also used the drop kick to attempt field goals on occasion.

So there's at least one record of the drop kick from the past. If anyone else has stories or records of the drop kick, please pass them along. My e-mail is rossmartin@npgco.com or call me at (816) 271-8553.