Warsaw alum kicks overtime field goal in Sunday's Rams against Bears nailbiter
WARSAW, Ind. -- The Los Angeles Rams punched their ticket to the NFC Championship Game Sunday evening after a nail-biting defeat over the Chicago Bears.
It all came down to an overtime field goal kick sealing the deal for the Rams with a three-point lead.
Though many Bears fans in the Michiana area are disappointed about the outcome of the game, one Indiana community is celebrating, and feeling very proud.
Harrison Mevis, or the 'Thiccer Kicker' as he's affectionately called, was the player behind that game-winning kick, and he also happens to be a Warsaw Community High School alum.
"I don't know that I've ever in the nineteen years I've been here, broken in and said 'Hey, we have an NFL athlete that did something special,'" says Troy Akens, Warsaw Community High School principal.
"I'm so blessed to be able to watch a former Warsaw Tiger play on that platform in that atmosphere, in front of that many people," says Bart Curtis, Warsaw Football Head Coach.
Mevis, a 2020 graduate of Warsaw Community High School and now starting kicker for the L.A. Rams is earning his big break this season, so far 12 for 13 at the field goal line.
His high school coach Bart Curtis saw firsthand the years of practice and passion that got him here.
"I can remember when it was a family affair when him and his brother or him and his mom and dad would come out in January and February and take a snow shovel and shovel the turf field and work on his trade," recalls Curtis. "When you've put in the time and the effort and practice that often and done all the inglorious and seemingly uneventful work to be put on a stage in that situation, he's already done it."
Curtis was in the crowd at Soldier Field Sunday with his son and offensive coordinator, Michael Curtis.
When it all came down to Mevis's 42-yard attempt to win it all, they were confident.
"When he went out in overtime, there was just this feeling, that he's got this. Because we've seen him do it so many times before, for the Tigers, for the Missouri Tigers, he's just shown time and time again that he's got nerves of steel," says Michael Curtis, Warsaw Football Offensive Coordinator.
"He's kicked that kick thousands of times before Sunday night," says Bart Curtis.
They say Mevis is a shining example for students who roam the halls he used to walk, showing that any dream is possible with hard work and dedication.
"Part of our mission statement at Warsaw Schools is about the dream aspect, we want everyone to have a dream, and we're here to help cultivate that dream," Akers says.
Mevis won the Sunday Night Football Player of the Game football following the game.
He and the Rams will face the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday for the coveted NFC championship title and a chance at a Super Bowl LX appearance.