It doesn't make much sense to Woodstock coach Mike O'Brien, but he's heard that some coaches rarely practice what he considers one of the most vital aspects of the game. And from the results so far, the Wolverines' dedication, and their opponents' apathy, have paid off quite nicely for O'Brien's squad, which considers special teams vital to success.

"We have an understanding of how important the special teams are," O'Brien said. "On special teams, that's the quickest way to score. A punt return or a kick return - those have immediate impact on a football game. On coverage, when we pin them deep, either with a punt or stopping a kickoff deep where they have to go 80 yards or more, that has a big impact on a ball game."

At Woodstock, the punt coverage and punt return teams practice their tasks daily, as do the extra point and field goal units. The kickoff coverage and kickoff return teams workout Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"We really emphasize those points when we are practicing them," O'Brien said. "All of the coaches are coaching and trying to get everything ironed out."

O'Brien pointed out that his team has greatly benefited from strong kickoff and punt return units. The punt coverage team has also dealt opponents poor field position on numerous occasions - even pinning one team on its own 1-yard line when David Fox downed the ball there.

"Our coverage has been tremendous trying to pin people deep," O'Brien said. "This year, we've had some good punt returns and a couple good kickoff returns to really ignite the team. Then, we've had some great defensive efforts by the coverage teams to push (opponents) deep."

As not to leave any of the specialty units out, the coach added that his extra point and field goal units have been accurate all season.

"The coaches have worked extremely hard, and the kids have worked and focused on trying to do those things properly," he said.

O'Brien said a big part of the success is having the right players in the right positions.

Throughout the regular season, junior Justin Toliver handled the punting duties after serving part-time as a sophomore. Jonathan Weiner and Brad Sullivan split kicking duties early in the season before Weiner did most of the extra points, field goals and kickoffs.

According to O'Brien, Weiner has the stronger leg, while Sullivan does more directional kicking when the need arises.

The kickoff and punt returners include Tanner Skogen, Drew Yeargin and Toliver. Skogen has found the most success returning punts. The senior, who also sees time at running back and defensive back, returned three punts for touchdowns this season - including the game-winner against Etowah.

However, Skogen shares the credit with his teammates.

"I can't do it without them," he said after the win over Etowah. "(My teammates) set up a wall, and I just ran behind it. I may score the touchdown, but we all do the work."

Not only does a solid punt or kickoff leave opponents with a long field, but it can also be energizing when the defense takes the field. The Woodstock defense gets an emotional boost knowing that a stop in opponents' territory will transfer to good field position for the Wolverines' offense.

"It really fires the defense up and gets the defense moving, too," said O'Brien. "That's why it's so important to us."