Logan Lober is and ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Casteel High School for AZPreps365.com

When the Casteel Colts jog out to the practice field to get ready for an hour and a half of conditioning, drills and scrimmaging, two players tail off and head toward one of the school’s baseball fields.

Instead of running routes or walking through the playbook, the two spend most practices kicking a football back and forth to each other.

Cyrus Aguinaga is the starting kicker and punter for Casteel High School. He leads the state in made field goals with nine, including a booming 54-yard kick at the end of the first half in Casteel’s Friday night loss to Perry.

Younger brother Rayden Aguinaga hopes to follow in his older brother’s footsteps next year when he looks to take over the kicking and punting duties at the varsity level.

Cyrus and Rayden Aguinaga’s kicking background started with playing soccer as kids and looking up to their cousin, who kicked with former Arizona State kicker Cristian Zendejas while attending Perry High School.

When Cyrus Aguinaga graduates in the spring, his goal is to earn a scholarship to kick at the next level.

Until then, he wants to continue having a successful season with the rest of his teammates. 

“I want to keep winning with my guys,” Cyrus Aguinaga said. “They really embrace me here, more than I ever thought a kicker would be embraced. I feel like we’re just family and they really trust me a lot and I trust them.”

Head coach Bobby Newcombe loves what the Aguinaga brothers bring to the team, both on and off the field.

“They’re two different people, for sure, but they’re both competitors and that’s what we love about them,” Newcombe said. “Cyrus has definitely been a great example for his younger brother and other players and kickers in our program, so we’re excited to have him and we want to make sure we get to utilize him as much as possible while he’s here.”

Cyrus and Rayden Aguinaga model their game after some of the NFL’s top kickers, most notably Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, Evan McPherson of the Cincinnati Bengals and Matt Prater of the Arizona Cardinals, whom the brothers worked with while attending the Cardinals’ camp over the summer.

At practice, the Aguinaga brothers like to mix it up, doing a combination of drills and games.

“We have certain days where we're doing certain things like kickoff-punt and then PAT-field goal. It's all spread out,” Rayden Aguinaga said. “Coach (Phillip) Whitaker works with us, he's the special-teams coach and kicking coach. We have little games like punt, pass and kick. … And then just little competitions like if I don't beat Cyrus, then I have to run three gassers or do a couple of pushups.”

Whether it’s at practice or during a game, the Aguinaga brothers are always by each other’s side practicing their kicks and trying to make each other better.

“I feel like we know each other the best than anyone else knows the way we kick the ball,” Rayden Aguinaga said. “So, if I see something that he's doing wrong, I may see something that some coaches won’t.”

“Obviously having him be my competition is a little difficult because he’s my brother,” Cyrus Aguinaga said. “We also give each other pointers… So, if I'm kicking weird, he’ll help me, I'll fix it and then vice versa.”

Kicking is in Cyrus and Rayden Aguinaga’s blood, but they’ve put in all the hard work that’s necessary to be successful at the next level.