LUMBERTON — The pre-snap ritual has become second nature to Connor Haskins.

Line it up. Spot the hold. Make the kick.

Haskins' habitual steps replay in his mind before each and every successful boot. Time freezes as Lumberton High’s kicker checks the line of scrimmage and gives his holder a nod.

The rest is effortless.

"I always have a routine on my kicks," Haskins said. "I go through one quick dummy leg swing to get my mind right and my steps down. Then I go back and take my steps again to make sure everything is aligned. I try my best to put it through the uprights."

It hasn't always been this easy.

EARLY START WITH LFA

Haskins' career as a kicker started in the sixth grade as a charter member of the Lumberton Football Association. The Lumberton Wolfpack's baby-faced special teamer didn't quite have the leg then.

"I give (LFA) a lot of credit because he kicked throughout junior high and both years on the varsity team at Lumberton," said his father, John Haskins, the women's basketball coach at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Haskins plays an important role in his son's kicking repertoire: He's responsible for shagging footballs that fly through the air weekdays at Alton G. Brooks Stadium. With just two free pigskins available at practice, it takes too much work to kick them past the goal posts and pick them up.

Connor gives the burden of fetching errant kicks to Dad. Moral support is always welcome, too.

"Dad was behind the posts all summer helping me grab footballs," Haskins said with a laugh. "He's always been there pushing me to become a better kicker."

Father and son agree that not rushing the snap in the junior high and pee wee ranks helps young kickers hone their skills on special teams. No pressure gave Haskins the opportunity to focus on the football without opposing players trying to block his kicks.

But Friday nights are quite different than those chilly, Saturday mornings.

The crowds have steadily increased since his days with the Wolfpack and players have tripled in size.

But even on the varsity stage, Haskins says a raucous crowd and leaping defenders don't bother him.

"To be honest, when I'm out there, I don't hear anything," Haskins said. "It's just me and my holder and whenever he puts the ball down, that's when I start. I don't think there's ever been a time where the crowd or the opposing team has affected my kick."

BEND IT LIKE HASKINS

Haskins credits his kicking expertise to his first love — soccer.

Haskins is a formidable goal-scorer for the Pirates' boys soccer team and as a sophomore midfielder, scored 13 goals and notched eight assists for Kenny Simmons' club.

Haskins returns this season to a squad hoping to make the 4A playoffs for the second straight year. Handling both sports simultaneously during the fall hasn’t been a problem for Haskins – the only football game he missed last season due to a scheduling conflict was the Pirates’ win at Wilmington Laney.

Simmons is thankful to see his star juggle both varsity sports.

"I've watched Connor grow up playing soccer," Simmons said. "He's loved the game since elementary school. You know what you're going to get out of Connor. He's a kid that works hard and is very competitive. And he’s a heck of a football player, too."

Haskins says the breakdown of a field goal attempt is similar to a free kick in soccer - strike the ball on the sweet spot.

Soccer balls are normally sent airborne using the side of the foot on the laces, while footballs are hit with the top of the foot, at the toe.

"There's a certain location to look for when kicking a football," Haskins said. "You have to angle it down. In soccer, you try to get under the ball to make it lift up."

Awarded the title of co-captain by his coach before the soccer opener at Village Christian, Haskins is expected to shoulder the bulk of Lumberton's scoring and be the catalyst for his team's attack on offense.

"He's going to be called upon to score goals," Simmons said. "He's definitely one of our key players. Young guys look up to him for direction. For us to have success, he has to be good."

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Like many high school kickers, Haskins is small in stature at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, and will have a difficult decision to make next fall when he chooses between soccer and football at the college level.

But if reports from national kicking scouts are any indication, Haskins’ career plan may have already been decided.

This summer, Haskins participated in Chris Sailer’s kicking camp at Charlotte Christian, a single-day, Nike-sponsored event that offered instruction, film and classroom sessions on place-kicking and punting.

Following the camp, Haskins saw his stock rise from an all-county kicker to a projected four-star national prospect according to Sailer, a professional kicking instructor with 13 years of college football experience.

Sailer’s instructional staff includes current kickers and punters from the NFL, Arena Football and the college ranks. Sailer says Haskins is the 10th-best kicker in the 2012 graduating class and shows great technique and consistency with a blend of raw ability.

Sailer’s assessment of Connor: “(He) is an outstanding kicker. He’s one of the best field goal kickers in his class so far. (He) has the skills to remain of the very best in the Class of 2012.”

Haskins doesn’t second guess which sport he’ll choose.

"I think I have the skills to be a college kicker," Haskins said. "I think kicking in college would take me farther. Soccer has been my first love since I was little and soccer has helped me become a good kicker. The motions are about the same you just have to tweak little things."

Dad concurs.

"He's a good soccer player and a good athlete but I think we both know he can have a future in football," the elder Haskins said. "I'm behind whatever he wants to do. I could care less if he chose soccer or football. But I think he has his mind set on football."

Haskins solidified his role as the Pirates’ starting kicker the summer before his freshman year, impressing the coaching staff with consistent, booming kickoffs and field goals tries that reached the jogging track. Friday’s 54-yard field goal attempt that fell just short against Overhills, showcased the power in the right leg of the 5-foot-8 junior.

He also moonlights as a defensive weapon, using his kicking strength to lengthen the field for Lumberton’s opponents. Against Pine Forest in the season-opening 49-14 win on Aug. 20, seven of his eight kickoffs reached the end zone, meaning the Trojans started from their own 20-yard line.

At the prep level, once a kickoff crosses the goal line the ball cannot be returned.

As the place-kicker during Lumberton’s 2009 run, Haskins connected on five field goals and made 41-of-44 PATs. His 56 total points ranked third on the team. Haskins also handles the punting duties for the Pirates.

Lumberton's third-round playoff loss at Jack Britt last season re-directed the kicker's focus to this fall - a year, he thinks, could end with a state championship.

Over the last two seasons, the Pirates have relied on a staunch defense and a running game that gives everyone headaches with misdirection handoffs and occasional play-action passes. Haskins believes his team's hard-hitting 11 and confusing rushing attack are the focal points again.

Lumberton, which defeated Overhills 41-7 Friday, looks to go 3-0 when it hosts winless St. Pauls later this week.

"Our offense is clicking on all cylinders and it's better overall than last year’s attack," Haskins said. "If our defense holds up against good teams, we can have a championship-caliber season. Pine Forest scored once on a short field and once against our second unit, so they've done a good job so far."

This season, Haskins has helped his team to a 2-0 start and converted 12-of-13 extra point attempts.

“We can be very, very good,” Haskins said before practice last week. “We have a chance to be better than last year’s playoff team.”