PREP FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: WALL FINDS FOOTBALL HAS MORE KICK.

Byline: Scott Magoloff Staff Writer

Ask Birmingham High kicker John Wall who holds the NFL record for the longest field goal and the answer quickly rolls off his tongue.

``Sixty-three yards,'' the senior-to-be says. ``Jason Elam.''

Wall, coming off an All-City Section season last year - when he kicked 15 field goals for the second-highest total in region history - has improved his distance and accuracy.

During a practice in late June, Wall went on a three-kick tear, justifying his selection to Street & Smith's high school All-American team.

``He hit consecutively from 60, 63, then 65 yards,'' said Patriots coach Dave Lertzman, who is also the team's kicking coach. ``He's getting better. We were all impressed, especially when the kid said, `Coach, isn't 63 the NFL record?' ''

Added Wall: ``It feels pretty good inside to know that I broke the NFL record, but it's not the same because they kick off the ground in the NFL. But just knowing I can kick that far. . . .''

Wall's first love was soccer, which he played since he was 5. He is still the goalie for Birmingham, but he quit club soccer to concentrate on football after his freshman year. Through his extensive soccer training, Wall's leg strength was such that Lertzman said he ``was good from 50 yards the first day he was out there three years ago.''

Lertzman has helped Wall develop a more consistent leg swing. It was evident the day he kicked the three 60-plus field goals, which, Lertzman said, were all ``dead-center'' through the uprights.

Such feats are only adding to Wall's growing national reputation. And it will pick up steam again when ESPN airs the feature it produced about him Monday at Birmingham for the program ``Inside Cal-Hi Sports.''

Wall is already practically a place-kicking institution within Patriots history. His 19 career field goals are a school record (the second-highest total is four). Wall's 101 points are also the most by a Birmingham kicker. Dave Drysdale (1962-1964) holds second place with 67 points.

After the Patriots struggled to a 1-9 record last year, Wall would give back some of the notoriety for a more palatable season.

``It was kind of tough losing the majority of our games,'' Wall said. ``I had more opportunities to kick field goals, but I would have liked for the team to do better. (This year) our team's kind of young, but I think we'll do a lot better.''

Quarterback jinx? After 10 years of healthy quarterbacks under coach Gene Uebelhardt, Royal's past two seasons have been blemished by the loss of a senior quarterback.

Last year, Dustin Cruz missed six games with a knee sprain; in 1997, Braden Fine was lost after the fourth game with a knee injury requiring reconstructive surgery.

``It's very depressing, but it's part of the game,'' Uebelhardt said. ``We don't feel sorry for ourselves, we feel sorry for them. You get one shot in your life (to be a senior quarterback).''

There are no feelings of sorrow surrounding the quarterback situation this summer. The duo of senior Bryce Klenck and junior Joe Brown led Royal to the championship game of last weekend's Cal Lutheran passing tournament, which it lost 25-7 to Notre Dame. Klenck, a starting strong safety last year, is learning the quarterback position.

What impressed Uebelhardt was the way his two quarterbacks recovered from an 0-3 start Friday to win three of four Saturday, including a win over top-seeded Carlsbad.

``That gives us a good taste in our mouths for the rest of the summer,'' he said.

His own thing: Hart quarterback Kyle Matter has the same first name and a similar last name to his renowned predecessor, the Cal-bound Kyle Boller.

In a program that has churned out All-Southern Section quarterbacks for the last 14 years, the same is expected of Matter.

The junior accepts the obvious but still wants to develop without the legend of Boller dangling overhead.

``I'd hope they wouldn't compare me,'' Matter said. ``He's awesome, and I haven't done anything yet.''

``Yet'' being the operative word. After being tutored by quarterbacks coach Dean Herrington on the sideline during varsity games last year (in street clothes because he played JV), Matter has steadily improved all summer.

Head coach Mike Herrington said Matter has made the greatest strides in his reads, in addition to improving his arm strength and accuracy.

``One of our goals is that, even though the coaches are standing right there, he has to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage,'' Herrington said of Hart's passing tournaments. ``He's doing a great job of calling audibles at the line. For the most part, he's right on the money.''

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PHOTO JOHN WALL

The Birmingham High kicker made consecutive field goals of 60, 63 and 65 yards in practice.