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O'Neill getting his kicks in Corvallis Sunday Aug 15, 2004 at 2:00 AM Dec 18, 2010 at 7:41 AM DON HUNT,Mail Tribune Corey O'Neill had decided to attend Linfield College this fall when he got a call from Oregon State football special teams coach Bruce Read two weeks ago. Come to Corvallis, Read suggested, and we'll give you a shot at the vacant placekicking job. O'Neill, who had considered attending OSU earlier this year, took Read's advice and was on the Beaver practice field when training camp opened on Tuesday. He (Read) told me they usually don't have freshman kickers come up in August but that they're really concerned about finding someone who can get the job done, O'Neill said. The Beavers lost Kirk Yliniemi to graduation and, not counting O'Neill, they have only two other placekickers ' redshirt junior John Dailey and redshirt freshman Alex Serna ' on their roster. Ross Wopat, who would have been a redshirt freshman, left the team. — None of the kickers has secured a scholarship but whoever wins the job will get one, O'Neill said, adding that the top two will make the trip to Louisiana State for the Beavers' season opener on Sept. 4. O'Neill, 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, logged a solid performance during OSU's opening day of practice, hitting 5 of 5 field-goal attempts from 30 yards against a defensive line rush. Serna also went 5 for 5, while Dailey missed one of his attempts, O'Neill said. I definitely feel that I can kick at this level, said O'Neill, who was a three-sport standout at South Medford High. It's a great opportunity. O'Neill booted three school-record 47-yard field goals during his Panther football career. He hit 17 of 22 field-goal attempts during his three seasons as the Panthers' kicker and made 108 of 111 extra-point tries. O'Neill was also a standout soccer player at South, earning first-team all-state honors, and in baseball, where he earned third-team all-state accolades. O'Neill finished his season with the Medford Mustangs American Legion baseball team last weekend. Had the Mustangs won the tournament ' they finished second to Salem ' O'Neill would have had to miss this week's Northwest Regional Tournament in Roseburg. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail