You don’t see this very often.
St. Charles North senior Lucas Tenbrock may not be one of a kind, but he is a rarity. And he’s pretty darn special on a football field — in more ways than one.
Strong as an ox as a 6-foot-6, 220–pound offensive lineman, Tenbrock also stands out on special teams for the North Stars as both a punter and a kicker.
Just how good?
Tenbrock, who is nationally ranked in both kicking and punting, verbally committed in June to a full-ride scholarship offer from Iowa State as a punter.
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“They said they may also try me on kickoffs, too,” said Tenbrock, who is adept at kicking the ball to the back of the end zone if need be.
Last season, Tenbrock started at right tackle, but he’s being utilized as the sixth lineman this year for St. Charles North (3-0), allowing him to focus on kicking.
In earning DuKane Conference Specialist of the Year last season, Tenbrock averaged 43 yards a punt, went 42 of 42 on extra-point kicks and 5 of 6 on field-goal attempts. He also successfully executed six onside kicks.
Many of his punts boast hang times of 4.5 seconds and more.
“He’s relentless with it,” said St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak, who oversees the special team units. “He trains every day, travels all over the country, training and doing camps and whatnot, and he’s really improved.
“We worked on his drop last year and that was a big step, and he did the rest of it. Now, I truly believe he’s one of the better punters in the country based on what I see against opponents and every day.”
Like many football kickers, Tenbrock has a soccer background. His father emigrated from Germany and his mother from Spain, settling in the Dallas area. Lucas started playing soccer at age 4.
He tried football soon enough, starting with line play due to his size, but it didn’t take long for his kicking skills to emerge.
By the time the family relocated to Illinois for his father’s job change when Lucas was in eighth grade, he began training with a personal instructor who referred him to Chris Nendick, the former Naperville Central and Northern Illinois kicker. Nendick is a longtime staff member for Chris Sailer, whose company provides training camps and competitions nationwide.
This summer, Sailer ranked Tenbrock at No. 1 in punting and No. 22 in kicking for the 2026 class.
“I’ve been working with Nendick since eighth grade and learned a lot from him,” Tenbrock said. “He’s helped me immensely and that includes recruiting, too.”
Working with Tenbrock on special teams for the North Stars are senior long snapper Luke Epstein and senior backup quarterback Michael Atkins, who holds for placement kicks.
The 5-10, 180-pound Epstein also has an NIU connection. He’s trained with Nolan Owen, an NIU alum and local long snapping coach. Epstein and his older brother Lincoln, who’s a long snapper for Central Michigan, both have worked with Owen.
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“With my size, I didn’t think there was a very good chance of playing another position at the next level,” said Epstein, who has a preferred walk-on offer from Western Illinois.
Tenbrock, meanwhile, has made 4 of 5 field goals this season, including a career-long 47-yarder, one of three he converted at Homewood-Flossmoor. His field goal against Geneva was the difference in a 10-7 win.
In practice, Tenbrock has topped 55 yards.
“Our special teams game plans are pretty elaborate,” said Pomazak, whose team has recovered one of his short pooch kicks to gain a possession. “We use Lucas like a Swiss Army knife, trying to use his expertise in different ways.
“We’re fortunate to have these specialists where that’s all they do. In the DuKane Conference, if we can win specials or at least steal a possession, it’s going to make a huge difference for us because we can’t guarantee we’re gonna win offense or defense clear out.”