By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The first game that he ever took a snap as a punter was on Sept. 3, 2022.

Shane Drake (Franklin, Mass.) was just starting his junior year at Bridgewater State University that day as the Bears' football team hosted Ithaca College.

Drake had been a soccer player for most of his life, making the switch to football as a senior at Franklin High School.

He handled kickoffs for the Panthers in 2019, then after COVID wiped out the 2020 BSU season, did the kickoffs for the Bears in 2021.

BSU was in need of a punter in 2022 after the graduation of Thomas Fay, who had established a school record with an average of 40.4 yards a year earlier.

So Drake, the former soccer player, got the call to be the Bears' punter, taking on a brand new assignment in just his third season as a football player.

"You could see he always had the leg," said BSU coach Joe Verria. "When we needed help at punter, he stepped right up and started to figure it out."

The newcomer to the punting game figured it out so well that he broke Fay's program record in 2022 with an average of 42.5 yards.

And Drake followed that up with a 41.5 average (12th nationally in Division 3) on 43 punts this season, earning him a prestigious honor after helping the Bears go 7-3 and win a share of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

Drake has been selected to the New England Football Writers Division 2-3 first team and will be honored at a banquet on Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center.

"It means the world to me," said Drake of the All-New England designation. "It's so special to be able to get that honor.

"I've come so far in such a short amount of time and I'm just so glad I was able to get that honor and continue to do the work day in and day out. It was a lot of hard work dating back to Aug. 10 and the hot days during camp and continuing to work day in and day out."

Drake led the MASCAC in punting average, total yards, fair catches and punts inside the 20-yard line this season. He was chosen to the All-MASCAC team and has a two-year average of 41.8 yards on 82 punts.

"His punts have really gotten us out of trouble a lot," said Verria. "It's huge because he flips the field for us. If we're not moving the ball and we're punting, he keeps the other team in their own end."

Drake had been a striker in soccer, but heading into his senior year at Franklin High, decided to give a new sport a try.

He had never played football before and went out for the Panthers as a kicker. The team had three kickers that year with Drake doing the kickoffs and the other two handling punts and field goals/extra points.

"I played soccer ever since I could put some cleats on and get out on the field," said Drake. "I kind of started having an interest in football and transitioned my soccer skills to football. It's been fabulous ever since.

"I think it was just the overall game of football, the fans, the atmosphere and being able to put on the pads and going out there in front of a big crowd and being able to start the game off on kickoffs.

"I knew it was the right move right off the bat. Just being around the guys and how much different practice was compared to soccer and how much different the game was. It was just so much more fun. Going out on Friday Night Lights, you could see the fan section going crazy as we left the locker room, it was just so exciting."

Drake was attracted to BSU because of the campus and the football program.

"I fell in love with the program, I love the campus," he said. "I had a good relationship with Coach V right away. His spirit is so high and he has such enthusiasm for the program."

But his freshman season didn't happen because of COVID, so all the Bears could do was practice while wearing masks.

It was a waiting game with plenty of uncertainty until the 2021 season arrived. Fay was in his final year as the punter and Drake kicked off 39 times to get his first varsity experience.

Drake worked on punting, knowing there would be an opening at the spot, and that work paid off as he took over in 2022 and broke the school record.

"I worked really hard on the side, on the mechanics of it," he said. "I knew I wanted to get on the field and show my abilities. I'd been waiting so long to actually do that. I was so proud of what I was able to accomplish because of all the hard work I put in during the summer and training sessions with my kicking coach.

"I was ready to go for a long time. I was waiting for my time to shine. I didn't know necessarily that I would break the record, but I knew through my hard worked every day I would be able to do something special on the field and try to make and impact and try to flip the field for the guys and get the defense in the right position."

Drake is glad that he made the move from soccer to football, though he has plenty of good memories from the first sport he played.

"I've always loved soccer," he said. "Before football practice, I'd see the guys out there (at soccer practice), and it gets my heart pumping. I love the game of soccer, there's no question about it. I love remembering the memories I have with the soccer kids I grew up with.

"Looking back, though, I definitely made the right decision."

Drake, a senior who is majoring in business management, has one year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID year if he wants to play another season.

That decision will be made in the upcoming months as Drake weighs his next move.

First is the trip to the banquet in Framingham to be honored as an All-New England punter.

"I was very happy with what I was able to accomplish this year," said Drake. "There is always room to improve and I'm excited to see what's next because I have one year of eligibility left, but I'm not sure what I want to do with that yet."

After getting involved in football just a few years ago, Shane Drake has taken full advantage of his new sport.

"A little bit of a late start, but you've got to use every opportunity in front of you the best you can," he said.