Bryan Maley made the long trek from Alaska to Staten Island a few years ago to visit his sister Marti. While at Wagner College, Maley dropped off his highlight tape in the football offices just to cover his bases. When he told the staff where he was from, they were stunned.
“When I think of Alaska, I think of snow, ice. Last thing I think of is kicking field goals or even football,” Wagner head coach Walt Hameline told The Rumble’s Zach Braziller.
The Seahawks are happy to have Maley. He has made the most of his opportunity this fall, filling in for injured starter David Lopez and making all three of his field goal attempts in a 23-20 overtime victory over Bryant last weekend — including the game-winning 45-yarder — as Wagner improved to 1-1 in the NEC and 2-4 overall.
“That was awesome,” Maley said. “I would say it was probably the most important kick of my career. It was really great to help my team get the victory, keep our season alive.”
Maley, 20, planned on staying relatively close to home for college. Instead, he ended up as far away as possible, some 4,428 miles away.
Wagner turned out to be the placekicker’s best offer, and though he was hesitant about living in New York City, he decided it would be a great opportunity. It was a difficult transition at first.
“It’s completely day and night different,” he said. “It’s a complete culture shock. It’s New York City. I’m still not used to it. It’s heavily populated. The people are quite different, I would have to say.”
Maley grew up in a tiny Alaskan town, his home on the side of a mountain. Basically the stereotype of Alaska, he joked.
Though he doesn’t plan to live in New York City for more than a few years after college, Maley has grown to enjoy it. He makes trips into Manhattan whenever he can. He attended a Yankees game, took in a Broadway play and visited the Empire State Building. He loves Central Park.
His true passion is football, which he picked up in high school after playing soccer most of his adolescent life. He set a state record in high school with a 52-yard field goal, then kicked a 53-yarder the following week.
Maley endeared himself to Hameline with his work ethic, how hard he practices and his desire to improve. Though Lopez will regain his starting job upon his return, Hameline expects Maley to be his starting kicker next fall.
“When you watch him, the ball comes off his foot with real pop, and his distance, he has the capability to kick long kicks,” Hameline said. “One thing you always question with a new kicker or young kicker: How consistent is he going to be? Will he be able to make 25-yarders consistently? Out there in practice, he bangs them through.”
New medium for Bobby V
He always created lots of drama in the dugout, but can Bobby Valentine do the same on the screen?
Valentine, the athletic director at Sacred Heart, has partnered with filmmaker Andrew Moscato for a series of documentaries, including two set to be released this month.
“Branca’s Pitch” tells the story of his father-in-law and former Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca and his life after Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ’Round the World.” It’s scheduled to available on DVD and video-on-demand later this month.
“Schooled: The Price of College Sports,” which airs on Epix Wednesday at 8 p.m., tells the story of the inequities in collegiate athletics. As an AD, is Valentine worried it will ruffle feathers with colleagues?
“No, ‘Schooled’ moves the conversation about college athletes from the water cooler to the dinner table,” Valentine said, “and until athletes have a seat at the table, the NCAA will always be an unfair marketplace. That’s what the film is about, creating conversation.”
MSG’s Cervasio on the run
It will be the hat trick for MSG Network’s sideline reporter/FOX 5 correspondent Tina Cervasio, who will run the New York Marathon for the third time on Nov. 3 after being moved by all the stories in the wake of the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Cervasio used to work in the Boston media and had a handful of friends competing that day.
Cervasio again is running for the Garden of Dreams Foundation, and by Marathon’s end will have raised more than $16,000 with her trio of appearances. Cervasio’s donation link is donate.gardenofdreamsfoundation.org/e/tinacervasio.
Cervasio has recruited two friends in the media — Michelle Beadle of NBC Sports and Anita Marks of NBC Sports Radio — to run with her.
Cervasio ran a 4:23 in 2008 and a 4:18 in 2009. Her goal this year is 4:09. She said she needs to finish the race in less than 4 hours, 30 minutes to make her 5 p.m. production meeting as the Knicks have a game that night at the Garden against the Timberwolves.
Mets’ Horwitz thinking pink
He certainly doesn’t have the body of a runner and his athletic days are certainly well behind him. But Sunday, Mets public relations director Jay Horwitz will be attempting to complete a 5K walk/run for Breast Cancer Awareness at Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park, N.J. To show Horwitz some love, visit Makingstrides.ascevents.Org.
The event is one of the six races in New Jersey to draw attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.