Mayfield's Spear takes young fan under his wing

Brian Lavrich/Sun News, January 05, 2010 2:50 p.m.

"I love the atmosphere of football," Spear said. "It's so intense. The spotlight is on you. The pressure's on you. I cherish that."

So it wasn't out of the ordinary for Spear to get a photo request from MichaelFavazzo, 7, before a game this past season. However, Spear didn't know that not only is Favazzo is his biggest fan, but he would strike up a relationship with the young kicker.

"At first, I knew Joe Hayes, who's a counselor at Mayfield," Spear said. "He and Dominic Favazzo (Michael's father) are friends. He said Michael wanted a photo of me before a game."

Michael got much more than that.

"They developed a friendship," Dominic Favazzo said. "My son goes to all his games, football and soccer. They talk on the phone. Carey treats Michael like a little brother."

Spear has helped Michael work with his kicking.

"He's helped a lot with my form," Michael Favazzo said.

Of course, Spear is a great person to get advice from for kicking, since he's been an All-Ohio kicker and soccer player two years straight. Also, in Mayfield's 13-10 regional semifinal loss to Solon, he tied a state record by hitting a 61-yard field goal.

"I always joked with (Mayfield) coach (Larry) Pinto that I had it in me," Spear said. "I pushed him a little bit.

"The opportunity presented itself and I took advantage of it. I knew I could kick it that far. Not many people expect you to make that. I just stuck to my technique."

Spear is already impressed with Michael Favazzo.

"It's humbling, especially since Michael is such a good kid," Spear said. "And he kicks extra points. I couldn't do that until the eighth grade.

"He's so coachable. Right away, he puts (advice) into his game."

Michael Favazzo, who attends Lander Elementary School, plays many sports, as most boys do, but his goal is clear.

"I want to be a Mayfield kicker," Michael Favazzo said. "I want to be like Carey."

Spear, who didn't start kicking until his freshman season, said the sky is the limit for Michael Favazzo.

"Absolutely. With him being so young, it's crazy he can kick extra points," Spear said. "He can get the ball up through there. He has so many years ahead of him. He's going to be an excellent kicker."

Spear, a senior, is attracting plenty of interest from Division I schools that want him to be their place-kicker. But Spear said that won't get in the way of his relationship with the Favazzos even if he ends up playing out of state, which is a distinct possibility.

"I don't think it will," Spear said. "I will stay connected. I'm always a phone call away. He's a good kid and (from) such a great family."

Dominic Favazzo, who is a guidance counselor at Orange, said his family can't thank Spear enough for all the time he spends working with Michael. Favazzo is a graduate of Brush and coached baseball at Brush for seven years. He also has coached softball and girls golf at Orange.

"He's a great kid," Favazzo said. "Whether he succeeds in football or not, he'll succeed in life. He's so mature for a high school kid. He takes time out for kids in the community."

And what does Spear think of one day coming back to Mayfield to see Michael Favazzo kick for the Wildcats?

"Absolutely, if I get the chance," Spear said. "If he gets the opportunity to kick for Mayfield, I'd love to see him kick.

"He has all the potential in the world. If he sticks with it, I know he'll be the best kicker in Mayfield history."

Mayfield should be very excited if Michael Favazzo one day does reach that goal; maybe even more excited than coaches, players and fans were each week to see Spear kick for the Wildcats.