Fenwick senior Noah Sur remembers the moment when he knew he’d be sticking with kicking.
Trailing 16-14 in the final minute of a game at Triton Stadium on Sept. 15, 2023, the Friars had first-and-goal inside St. Francis’ 10-yard line when the lights went out. The game was delayed for 20 minutes.
“During that time, I was preparing to kick the game-winner,” Sur said. “I didn’t feel very nervous.”
After play resumed, the Friars made no more progress, and Sur was given the chance to kick a go-ahead 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds left. He nailed it.
“After I made it, I was pumped and really excited,” he said. “I really wanted to pursue kicking, especially after that.”
Since then, Sur has become one of the top kickers in the country. The Northwestern recruit has committed to play in the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio, and Chris Sailer Kicking named him a preseason All-American.
But the 6-foot, 185-pound Sur, a former soccer player who was a linebacker as a freshman, does more than kick field goals and extra points for the Friars (2-0). Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia calls him “an elite athlete.”
“Noah is a weapon on special teams,” Battaglia said. “Specials teams in high school can be nerve-wracking. So having a guy kick the majority of the balls through the end zone helps. It takes a lot of pressure off us to be able to have touchbacks on every kick, and he flips the field with his punting.”
Sur boomed a career-long 70-yard punt against Brother Rice in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs last season, and his best recorded hang time is 5.2 seconds. His longest field goal is a 66-yarder during a practice.
But Sur’s transformation into a big-time recruit required more than a flip of the switch. He began to take kicking more seriously after his sophomore season, when he weighed no more than 150 pounds.
“I learned more about kicking itself and just every aspect, not just showing up and kicking,” he said. “I learned a lot mentally, physically. I hit the weight room and saw how much strength played a role in kicking. I had healthy habits.
“I went to a few camps, like Notre Dame and Boston College, and really focused on being the best I could be. I knew I wanted to kick in college and really be there for the team. I worked my tail off, and my kickoffs really jumped that summer, as well as my punts.”
Sur’s development continued after his junior season, according to his kicking coach, Chris Nendick.
“When I started working with him, he wasn’t very good, but he was athletic and worked hard,” Nendick said. “He didn’t really have it all up until about nine months ago. His dad called me and said his son wants to play Division I football. I told him what needed to happen. He went to work, gained 20 to 25 pounds of muscle, but still kept his athleticism and flexibility, and his leg speed got better.”
Sur said he can reverse-lunge 335 pounds, front-squat 325 pounds, back-squat 365 pounds and bench-press 235 pounds; was timed at 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash; and registered a 33-inch vertical jump.
“I don’t want to be looked at just as a kicker, especially in the weight room,” Sur said. “I’m the same as anyone else in the weight room. My motto in the weight room is I’m not a kicker. I’m like any other football player.”
Nendick, a former kicker for Naperville Central and Northern Illinois who has trained NFL kickers, said Sur could get even better.
“He earned what he got,” Nendick said. “I would put him among the best kickers in the country. On any given day, he could be the best kicker. He’s just starting to get on an uptick. The best part of Noah is untapped. He has more potential sitting in his body right now. He can still get stronger, still get more explosive and take the ball to a different level.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
