Orozco kicks way to NAL honors
Empire kicker special teams player of week after big performance
The Albany Empire’s Marc Orozco was named National Arena League special teams player of the week after kicking the first deuces of the season last Saturday in the Empire’s win over the Orlando Predators.
He was also perfect on extra points, going 10-for-10.
A deuce, unique to arena football, is when the kicker sends the kick off through the uprights, giving his team two points and pinning the other team back on its 5-yard line.
Saturday’s game was also the first of the season in which he wasn’t kicking the NAL’S new footballs.
The league switched from the old honey-colored footballs to new white ones at the end of last season, but the owners voted that any team that had a surplus of the old footballs, like the Predators, could still use whatever balls they had left.
“I don’t mind them, they’re
just horrible for kicking,” Albany coach Tom Menas said of the new footballs. “Our players love playing with the new balls, it’s just the kickers all prefer the old balls.”
“It’s a lot lighter, so it definitely bounces off your foot but once it gets in the air, it does whatever it wants,” Orozco said. “Definitely the NFL ball and the old ball definitely traveled farther than this new ball.”
Although Menas appreciated the six points off deuces, he said he was more impressed by Orozco’s extra-point performance.
“With the amount of points we score, PATS, point after (touchdown) attempts, are way more important than deuces,” he said.
The Empire (2-1) have scored 190 points this season, the most in the NAL. They’ve allowed 180 points, also an Nal-high.
Orozco was 1-for-2 on extra points in Game 1 and 7-for-9 in Game 2.
The new footballs aren’t the only thing Orozco has had to get used to. Because of the NAL’S Ironman rules requiring players to go both ways and play special teams, Orozco’s holder is often the quarterback. But Orozco hasn’t put pressure on anyone to hold the ball just so. “A lot of kickers are very picky about how they want the holds and stuff like that. I’ve never really been that type of kicker,” Orozco
said. “I’ve always just told them, just get it down as fast as you can, just give me some time to look where you put the ball. And then from there, it’s my job.”
He grew up playing soccer in Colombia, but went to high school in Texas, where his kicking skills caught the eye of the football coach. He went on to play at Grambling State and was invited to try out for the Cowboys in 2019, but didn’t make the roster.
“I did get some calls for training camp with some other teams, it just never went through. It’s a really tough business,” Orozco said.
He ended up with the Generals of the Spring League for a season, then didn’t play for two years, though he was still training and working with an agent when not working at a law firm in Colombia.
“I got a random call one day during work. It was an American number back from the states, and it was kind of weird,” Orozco recalled. “I answered it, it was Coach Menas.”
Orozco’s agent was one Menas particularly likes when it comes to kickers. He had sent Menas Orozco’s Grambling State film, and Menas liked what he saw.
“He came in, kicked great in camp the first couple of days, and all of a sudden it started fizzling out, and I said, ‘You’re over-kicking, you’re trying to prove yourself. You don’t have to prove yourself to me. I know you’re my kicker,’” Menas said. “Gave him a few days off, and then sure enough, he’s got lightning in his leg.”
Notes: The Empire are off this week before returning to MVP Arena on May 21. … Wide receiver Antwane Grant was put on short-term injured reserve, while defensive back Kenneth Mcgruder is back on the active roster. … Wide receiver Darius Prince was named NAL offensive player of the week after catching 16 passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns at Orlando.