Jaekle vs. Jaekle: Rivalry means plenty for parents of dueling kickers

By Ryan Greene

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Lorry Kristal's intention this week isn't necessarily to make a fashion statement.

The reason her fingernails are painted both red and navy blue is because, well, she doesn't have much of a choice. It's the same reason she and several family members made T-shirts that are half red, half blue -- colors split right down the middle -- featuring two different names and two different numbers. It all makes sense, though, when you see the back of the shirt, which simply reads "Jaekle."

Kristal has the odd task this Saturday -- for the second straight year -- of having one kid on each sideline in the annual UNLV-UNR clash. Granted, her two sons playing in the game never will be on the field at the same time, but that doesn't make it any easier.

"It's hard, because you try to be positive for both of the kids, and that's what you do," said Kristal, mother of UNLV's Ben Jaekle and his brother, Brett, a senior kicking specialist for UNR. "For us, because we're neutral, we get a lot of support."

For Kristal and her husband, George Jaekle, this is a week with a large influx of phone calls and e-mails. Both worked as educators in Las Vegas for 31 years and they've made countless connections in the community. And it seems everyone comes out of the woodwork with something to say to them about the game.

If you knew the Jaekle kids growing up, seeing two of them in pads and cleats this weekend would have come as a pretty big surprise.

Introduction to the gridiron

In the family's home there are three posters, each featuring one of the brothers at age 13. Derek, the oldest, is in baseball gear. Brett is in his soccer uniform. Ben? Basketball.

Lorry Kristal insists that if it wasn't for Derek taking up the kicking gig at Bonanza High as a junior, the other two may never have wound up where they are now.

"They're great people, and I attribute it to my older son," she said. "He was a role model for the other two. They wanted to do the same things he did, but better. They were always good in school, and they were all great athletes.

"They kept us busy."

Combined, the three Jaekle boys lettered in five different sports. The common bonds were soccer and, ultimately, football.

"We never kicked until high school," said Ben, who is 2-for-3 this season on field goal attempts. "(Brett) didn't like it, so he was going to stop, but the coach basically asked him to keep doing it. He stuck it out, and obviously did well enough to get to college."

Brett, a four-year starter, has been nothing short of successful for the Wolf Pack. He's 41-of-54 in his career on field goal attempts. He's hit 158 of 168 point-after attempts. He's one three-pointer away from moving into fourth on UNR's all-time list, and needs just 12 more PATs to hold that career mark.

Ben's path is a bit different. He kicked in 2006 as a true freshman, but only out of desperation.

In the season's first game, Sergio Aguayo went down with an injury. UNLV coach Mike Sanford called Ben on the phone while he was in the stands and had him suit up and come out to officially begin his college career. He hit three extra-point attempts and a 26-yard field goal that day.

Now, after redshirting a year ago, he's splitting duties with Kyle Watson. While Watson kicks extra points and shorter field goals, Jaekle is the kickoff specialist and long-range sniper.

Even though football blossomed later in the teenage years for all three Jaekle boys, if you take a look in the family's backyard, it would seem like the kids were naturals for just about any sport.

On a half-acre, the Jaekles played on a trampoline, in a pool, on a basketball court (both hoops and roller hockey), and the list goes on.

And just as kicking was near the end of the list of the kids' sporting interests, it also was the last to debut in the yard.

"We have these huge palm trees in the form of a 'V,'" Lorry recalled. "I saw (Ben) kicking the ball through the palm trees to our neighbor."

So, who's the best kicker in the family?

No parent worth his or her salt is going to give a one-sided answer to this one.

Neither will the older brother, apparently.

"I think they both do different things better than the other," said Derek, a UNR grad who now works in financial sales for a private money management firm in San Francisco. "I think, overall, Brett's athletic ability, his knowledge of what an athlete needs to do at a certain time (are his strong points). Ben has a really strong consistency with everything he does. His kickoffs are usually really on key."

The Jaekle family isn't sure what this weekend's opposing kickers would be doing had Derek never joined the football team in high school, thus setting off the domino effect.

Lorry said she thinks both probably would have followed through with soccer, though Ben was a bit of a wild card.

"Ben is one of those kids that, he loves what he's doing at the time," she said. "And I know not too long ago he said 'Maybe I should have gone out for swimming.' Whatever he played, that was his favorite at the moment."

No need to choose sides

George and Lorry figured out long ago the plan of attack for when UNLV and UNR meet each year to battle for the Fremont Cannon.

As was the case last year, they'll be donning T-shirts that are half red, half navy blue. On the front are the school names and jersey numbers for each son. On the back is their last name and the common bond between teams that are bitter rivals.

Cheering probably will be at a minimum. The same will go for most of the 30 or so family members in the stands. Derek said he'll be pulling for UNR (like any proud alum would), but wouldn't be taunting against Ben, say he were kicking a potential game-winner in the closing seconds.

But Ben on the other hand ...

"Basically, I always want to win the game, our team wants to win the game," he said, adding that he'd maybe try a "Noonan!" or two to distract Brett should he get a shot at being the hero. "The best thing possible is for him not to go out to kick at all, because I want to win."