Erath kicker breaks school record for most PATs in a season

Carlos Arellano is having an outstanding season as the kicker for the Erath Bobcats.
With one regular-season game left, Arellano has made 40 out of 45 extra points and is perfect on field goals, going four for four. He has scored 52 points for the Bobcats. Last Friday, he broke the school record by making his 40th extra point during his fourth attempt against Kaplan.
Arellano found out about the school record the Sunday before the Kaplan game, when assistant coach Jacob Broussard told him during practice.
“He asked me if I was keeping my stats,” said Arellano. “He told me I was on pace to break the extra point record. I said, ‘Oh, really. I did not know that. ’”
Before the Kaplan game, word got out in the community that Arellano could break the school record. Fans made signs with his jersey number 12, and Erath Principal Belisa-Powel Smith even wore a shirt with his number handmade on it.
Arellano entered the Kaplan game with 34 extra points and needed Erath to score four touchdowns to break the record. The previous record was 37, set by Dylan Floris in 2015.
The Bobcats scored six touchdowns, and Arellano made his fourth extra point to set the new record.
“I was not nervous going for the record,” said Arellano. “It was like any other game.”
Arellano hasn’t been the Bobcats’ kicker for long. This is his first year as the team’s place kicker.
He was on the team as a freshman but didn’t kick. After a knee injury that year, Arellano chose not to play during his sophomore and junior years since the Bobcats already had a strong kicker, Elie Felipe. Felipe and Arellano are good friends.
Arellano waited until Felipe graduated before trying out for kicker. He spoke with Coach Eric LeBlanc about trying out during the summer before the season started.
“He has been a pleasant surprise,” said Coach LeBlanc.