> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Merrimack getting its kicks from Costain - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/merrimack-getting-its-kicks-from-costain/ - Published: 2010-09-23T04:47:04.000Z - Updated: 2010-09-23T04:47:04.000Z - Description: Ty Costain was shaking when he took the football field. The Merrimack High School junior was lining up for a potential game-winning field goal that was definitely the biggest attempt of his short kicking career. Just a few short weeks before, Costain, who us a backup lineman on both sides of the bal - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division II, Fall Sports, football, Merrimack, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/alvmerrfball0917-m71-1.jpg "AlvMerrFball0917 M71-1") Ty Costain was shaking when he took the football field. The Merrimack High School junior was lining up for a potential game-winning field goal that was definitely the biggest attempt of his short kicking career. Just a few short weeks before, Costain, who is a backup lineman on both sides of the ball, would have never imagined himself in that situation. Same goes for the Merrimack coaches. “We had no idea Ty could even kick a football,” Tomahawks coach Joe Battista said. “Ty came out of nowhere.” During the preseason, the player whom Battista assumed was going to handle the team’s kicking duties decided football wasn’t for him. That left the coaches scrambling to find someone to fill the position. And like anyone needing to fill a role, the team had an audition. “We didn’t have a kicker, so we had an open tryout in practice,” Battista said. “Ty showed the most potential of them all. I don’t want to say he blew us away, but he showed the most potential. We told him to just keep kicking every day, your leg will get stronger and more consistent. That’s what has been happening.” After going through what he called a ‘rough’ preseason as a sophomore, Costain was excited to help the team out in more ways than one. He opened the season by making all four of his extra point attempts against Hollis/Brookline. In three games, he has made eight of his 10 point-after attempts. But the biggest moment came against Dover on Sept. 10\. With the score tied and about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Battista summoned Costain on fourth-and-5 to attempt a 27-yard field goal. “With it fourth-and-5 in a tie game, five minutes left, that was the perfect opportunity for him to go out there,” Battista said. “Worse-case scenario, he doesn’t make it, we play defense and they’re pinned in deep in their area with a tied score still.” The Tomahawks had gone for it on fourth down at earlier junctions of the game, but Battista made sure that Costain knew those weren’t the right moments for him to attempt a kick. “I wanted to get him confidence,” the coach said. “I told him the ball was on the wrong hash and I didn’t feel confident sending him out there. I kept talking to him when we went for a fourth down earlier in the game. He was with me. He looked me in the eye and shook his head. He was with me on that. I’ve known Ty since he was in seventh grade. We’re on the same wave-length.” So with five minutes left in the game and the ball on the right hash, Battista sent Costain out to attempt the field goal. “It was really nerve-wracking,” Costain said. “When I got up there and they snapped the ball, I thought ‘I can get this.’ I kicked it and it went in. I knew it was good when it went off my foot, too.” While it felt good to make the kick, the response from his teammates was even better. “It was awesome,” Costain said. “Everyone came over and celebrated.” Merrimack ended up with a 31-28 win and Battista got his new kicker the opportunity to make a game-winning kick. “That was the best moment,” Battista said. “Now he’s going to be confident.”