The walk-off homer. The last-second basket. Tipping a header into the net.

"My dad would throw me the basketball and count down and I would try to hit the last-second shot to win the game," Jurek said last week.

The imaginary crowds ringing the backyard court at his Panther Branch community home would go crazy. Jurek was their hero.

The real life story has been a little different.

Jurek has lived those last-minute heroics three times already in his 16-game varsity career at Enloe, but with a twist -- he is now a football quarterback and kicker.

Enloe has won six games during his varsity career. He has provided the winning margin in three with kicks in the last 90 seconds.

In the 2006 season-opener, Jurek not so calmly kicked a 25-yard field goal with five seconds left for a 21-18 victory over Durham Riverside.

Earlier this season, he nailed a 38-yarder against Riverside with 1:12 left for a 37-35 win. He also kicked the winning extra point in a 38-37 win over Durham Jordan with 1:15 left.

Against Jordan, Enloe drove 55 yards for the winning score with Jurek completing a key fourth-down pass to keep the drive alive.

After he handed off to Aziel Faison and watched him barrel into the end zone for a 7-yard score, Jurek did a little celebrating, jumping up and down.

"I didn't even think about kicking the extra point until the field goal unit came out," Jurek said. "When I saw them, I knew I had to get focused again."

He didn't think much; he just kicked it.

That wasn't his reaction a year ago when he was called upon to kick the field goal that won the game against Riverside.

"I was so nervous I couldn't stand it," he said. "My heart was pounding."

Some kickers like to concentrate on kicking just like they do in practice.

Not Jurek.

"I'm not a very good kicker in practice," he admitted, sheepishly.

But Enloe coach Ron Clark saw something in Jurek during practice last year. Clark wanted Jurek to be the junior varsity quarterback, but Clark pulled him up to the varsity because he figured Jurek might be the difference in winning and losing.

He loves football. He loves the excitement on Friday night. The smell of the grass. He even loves practice because he gets to spend time with his friends.

He loves playing in front of thousands of people. But most of all, he loves his team.

The spotlight? He accepts it, but doesn't seek it. He wants to do whatever it takes to win.

"We haven't won a lot of games," he said. "But we're going to keep trying."

Jurek said he loves being called upon in pressure situations.

"I want to be the guy that gets the chance," he said.

But Jurek, who carries a 4.1 overall grade-point average, wisely passes the praise around.

He credits his holder, Alan Sestito, and snappers, Matt Ludwig and Chris Burns. He thanks his offensive line and his runners and receivers. He is most appreciative of the defenders.

"I am very thankful for the team that I play on," Jurek said. "They are the ones that get us in position to win the games."

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