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Joined: Jan 2003
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
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Your death will make me king! 15000+ posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 22,618 |
The State Sports Jackson a sensation before 64-yarderPosted on Wed, Oct. 19, 2005 By RON MORRIS, Columnist TO FULLY APPRECIATE the state-record 64-yard field goal Richard Jackson kicked Friday in Riverside’s high school football victory against Union, you have to digest a few facts.
First, Jackson’s kicked the ball through the uprights from the opposite side of the 50-yard line, no small feat at any level of football. Second, this was no desperation, end-of-the-game attempt to win a game. And, finally, this was no fluke.
“He’s got the leg. He’s kicked 70-yarders in practice,” said Don Frost, Riverside’s coach. “Hey, we were down 6-3 (late in the second quarter). So we tried to score, and it gave us a shot in the arm.”
Jackson’s kick eclipsed by 1 yard the state record set by Middleton’s Daniel Jordan in 1995 and was the fourth field of 60 yards or more in South Carolina high school football history. It also ranks as the fourth-longest field goal in national high school sports history.
“It’s been wild,” Jackson said by telephone Tuesday when asked about the media spotlight he stepped into. “You don’t think about a kicker getting a lot of attention.”
Jackson’s kick was among Chris Berman’s Top 10 Plays of the Week on Sunday night’s ESPN SportsCenter. On Monday, Jackson was interviewed by two Upstate newspapers and three television stations.
His kick obviously was an eye-opener across the state and nation. But to those who have watched Jackson boot field goals and punt since the eighth grade, such a lengthy kick was not really out of the ordinary.
Jackson played soccer from the time he could walk through the seventh grade. Prior to the eighth grade he attended a summer football camp in which former USC player Brandon Bennett called on many of his NFL friends as instructors. Among them was Neil Rackers, then a kicker for the Cincinnati Bengals and now with the Arizona Cardinals.
At the end of camp, Rackers told Jackson’s parents, David and Phyllis of Greer, that their son might have an NFL future if he continued to work on kicking. Jackson said Rackers was the first to teach him the mechanics of kicking, and, more importantly began planting the seeds to establishing the proper mental approach to kicking.
There is no doubting that a leg as strong as Jackson’s is God-given. From there, Jackson has been a tireless worker in the weight room and has honed his mechanics by attending summer kicking camps and combines.
This summer, at a kicking camp in Los Angeles, Jackson booted a 57-yard field goal through the narrower NFL uprights without using a tee. (Jackson uses a half-inch tee during Riverside games, although a two-inch tee is allowed in high school.) At a combine in Las Vegas, Jackson nailed a 70-yarder during practice that caught the eye of college scouts.
Scholarship offers began to arrive at Jackson’s home from nearly every major college football program in the country. He made unofficial visits to Texas A&M, LSU, Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina State and Clemson. Then he committed to his longtime favorite: Clemson.
Clemson, like most schools, recruited Jackson as a kicker and punter. His outstanding punting often gets overlooked because of his kicking skills. But opponents notice. Frost said they occasionally stand and watch Jackson punt during pregame drills.
Most telling in Riverside’s victory Friday was Union’s return-yardage total: It did not manage a single yard against Jackson’s punts and out-of-the-end-zone kickoffs.
His kicking merited all the attention against Union. After going six games without a field goal, Jackson pushed a 47-yarder through the uprights in the first quarter. Then Riverside faced a fourth-and-8 at Union’s 49-yard line.
Frost never hesitated when he sent Jackson onto the field — to kick, not punt. The snap from center Nathan Maederer and the hold by quarterback Michael Wade were perfect. So, too, was the kick that hooked inside the left upright and easily cleared the crossbar.
The record kick did not come without controversy. It was first announced as a 63-yarder. When told following the game that the kick tied a state record, Frost immediately reviewed the film to check the distance.
“When Michael (Wade) set up, from the camera angle we had, his front knee was above 63 (yards), and his back leg was on line for 64 (yards),” Frost said. “(Wade) put the ball on the tee toward his back leg.”
Officially, it stands as a state record. But Frost, and anyone else who has seen Jackson kick, would not be surprised if that record is broken before Riverside’s season concludes.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 32,001 Likes: 1
We already are 15000+ posts
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We already are 15000+ posts
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 32,001 Likes: 1 |
Ha kickers Ha 
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 23
1 post
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1 post
Joined: Jan 2005
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Make fun of me, and I'll KICK your ass!
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,030
6000+ posts
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6000+ posts
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,030 |
You got cut by the Bears.
We all wear a green carnation.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 32,001 Likes: 1
We already are 15000+ posts
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We already are 15000+ posts
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 32,001 Likes: 1 |
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