Obsession, persistence carry Strike Force’s kicker into IFL playoffs

A little over a decade ago, San Diego Strike Force placekicker Ernesto Lacayo was living out of a 1976 green Volkswagen van parked outside a gym in Carlsbad.

He wasn’t down on his luck — just obsessed with football.

From 2013 through 2016, he slept steps from 6102 Avenida Encinas, Suite M, where he trained with former San Diego Chargers kicker John Carney.

Summer nights were spent under a tent pitched on the pop-up roof. In winter, he moved inside the VW’s cabin for warmth.

“His dedication, his persistence, his routine — it’s rare to see someone with that kind of structure in any field,” said Drew Ferris, who had a brief NFL career as a long snapper and now trains San Diego-area football specialists, often in tandem with Carney. “He literally lived out of a van just to work with John Carney.”

“The average kicker lasts four games in arena football,” added Lacayo, 36. “I’ve been doing this 14 years; I’m still here for a reason.”

Monday, Lacayo and the Strike Force (10-6) face the biggest challenge of their season. They’ll take on the Arizona Rattlers (10-6) in Glendale, Ariz., in the first round of the Indoor Football League playoffs. The game kicks off at 7:05 p.m.

Don’t tell dad

Lacayo’s football career traces back to Tennyson High School in Hayward.

He wasn’t supposed to be on the field — a friend kept urging him to try out, but Lacayo’s father Luis, a former pro soccer player in El Salvador, hated American football. To avoid trouble, Lacayo lied, telling his dad he had an after-school commitment.

At the tryout, football positions confused him.

When he told the other kids, “I can catch, I can run, I can block,” they laughed. But on his very first kick, he drilled the ball cleanly through the uprights — and over a baseball backstop.

Lacayo approached the ball like a soccer player, taking 10 steps. His coach told him he was only allowed two.

“Two steps?” Lacayo remembered thinking.

“I kicked the ball right down the middle, and it was euphoric,” he said. “I fell in love with it. I thought my dad was going to kill me.”

Lacayo went on to set multiple kicking records at his high school, then enrolled at the College of San Mateo, where he served as a two-time team captain. He earned a scholarship to Hastings College in Nebraska, where he was named All-Nebraska Kicker and Special Teams Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. His dad came around to the idea of American football.

Undrafted in 2011, Lacayo stepped into the world of indoor football — a landscape of low pay, small rosters, smaller fields, even narrower uprights, and kickers with short shelf lives.

“In the arena game, the kicker’s role is much more important,” Lacayo said. “There are several additional ways to score — extra points, field goals, drop kicks, deuces on kickoffs, even “rouges” (single-point scores on certain kicks) — so you’re out there kicking sometimes 10 times more than in the outdoor game. You can never take a step back; you have to be ready for your next kick right away.”

The job came with quirks.

“Indoors, you’re facing three big challenges: the uprights are half as wide, the ball is composite instead of leather, and your snapper and holder might change every game or have no experience,” he explained.

Getting his kicks

While Lacayo carved out a standout arena career, the NFL stayed front of mind.

Lacayo tried out for the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears, and played briefly for the Seattle Dragons during the pandemic-shortened 2020 XFL season.

“During my 2016 workout with the 49ers, I competed against Giorgio Tavecchio,” he recalled, referencing the former Cal star. “The GM said, ‘You had a great workout. We didn’t expect you to kick so well coming from indoor football.’

“But nothing came of it. With the Bears in 2018, they said, ‘Oh, you’re an arena kicker.’ After the workout, they told me, ‘Wow, we didn’t know you could kick that well outdoors.’ ”

Ferris acknowledged the uphill battle Lacayo faced trying to break into the NFL.

“He may not have had the strongest leg or that immediate ‘wow’ factor,” Ferris said. “But he was clutch and reliable. The kicker position is tough — only one spot per team, few openings, and teams often favor younger players with stronger legs. Still, I believe he had what it takes.”

Chasing history

Lacayo’s first stint with the Strike Force came in 2019. The team went 1–13 that season, but he still earned second team All-IFL honors — making 10 field goals, leading the league with a 94% PAT rate, and scoring more than 12 points in a game twice.

Rejoining the Strike Force this season, Lacayo helped anchor a playoff-bound squad led by former NFL quarterback Nate Davis, CFL veteran Rudy Johnson and former Washington Commanders wide receiver Jalen Sample.

This season, Lacayo converted 65 of 76 PATs and 13 of 25 field goals, with a long of 46 yards — ranking sixth among the IFL’s 14 kickers.

“He is a great player, great teammate, great leader,” Strike Force quarterback Nate Davis said. “I think he is the best in the league. I just love the way he prepares for a game.”

Lacayo balances team ambitions with personal milestones.

“I’m chasing a legacy in indoor football, aiming to surpass Mark Lewis — who is considered the greatest arena kicker and played 16 seasons,” Lacayo said. “I want to break that record. At the same time, it’s about helping this team win. This year, we have a great offense and defense, and my goal is to play my best football to support these guys.”

IFL playoffs: San Diego Strike Force (10-6) vs. Arizona Ratlers (10-6)

When: 7:05 p.m. Monday

Where: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Ariz.

Streaming: IFLnetwork.com