High School

Little Known Rule Leads to One of the Longest Field Goals in Georgia High School Football History

Graham Anand of Greater Atlanta Christian booted the seventh longest field goal in Georgia high school football history

Gary Adornato

Graham Anand of Greater Atlanta Christian booted the seventh longest field goal in Georgia high school football history, with a free kick, in GAC's playoff victory over Landmark Christian.
Graham Anand of Greater Atlanta Christian booted the seventh longest field goal in Georgia high school football history, with a free kick, in GAC's playoff victory over Landmark Christian. / Graham Anand

A keen understanding of the rule book, regardless of sport, can be a huge advantage for competitors, especially in post-season play.

Greater Atlanta Christian Takes Advantage of Little-Used Rule

Greater Atlanta Christian head football coach Tom Hardy went to the back pages of his rulebook to find an advantage for his team, during its 48-16 win over Landmark Christian, last Friday, in a Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class Private playoff game.

It All Started with a Fair Catch

Late in the first half, with his team leading, 31-16, Hardy instructed his team to call for a fair catch of a Landmark Christian punt, which was fielded near midfield with less than five seconds to play in half.

Instead of taking a knee or attempting a low probability Hail Mary heave to the end zone, Hardy opted for a third option.

Graham Anand's Free Kick Field Goal Was One of the Longest in Georgia History

Under National Federation rules, a team which makes a fair catch of any kick has the option to attempt a free kick on the very next play. And, the kick, if it goes through the uprights counts as a field goal.

This rarely used option, which is also legal in the NFL, but not college football, allows the kicker to boot the ball off a tee, with a snap or rush, making it much easier to drive through the uprights. GAC kicker Graham Anand did just that.

With both teams lined up in kickoff formation, 10-yards apart, Anand booted the ball from the 50-yard line through the uprights for a 60-yard field goal and three points.

Under the rule, a successful free kick is counted as field goal and it allowed Greater Atlanta Christian to take an extra three points with them to the halftime break. The Spartans would go on to win the contest 48-16 and advance to the state semifinals.

It also ranked among the longest field goals in Georgia high school football history, according to Todd Holcomb of Geogia High School Football Daily. Anand now owns the seventh longest field goal in state history. Here are those ahead of him on the list:

  • Rusty Curry, Duluth, 67-yards, 1999
  • Reed Cline, Rockdale County, 63-yards, 2002
  • Jake Verity, Bremen, 63-yards, 2015
  • Dax Langley, Heritage-Conyers, 63-yards, 1993
  • Ryan Nall, George Walton (GISA), 62-yards, 2000
  • Miles Hemphil, East Paulding, 61-yards, 2012

No other kick on the all-time list traveled more than 59 yards.

Published
Gary Adornato
GARY ADORNATO

Gary Adornato is the Senior VP of Content for High School On SI and SBLive Sports. He began covering high school sports with the Baltimore Sun in 1982, while still a mass communications major at Towson University. In 2003 became one of the first journalists to cover high school sports online while operating MIAASports.com, the official website of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Later, Adornato pioneered market-wide coverage of high school sports with DigitalSports.com, introducing video highlights and player interviews while assembling an award-winning editorial staff. In 2010, he launched VarsitySportsNetwork.com which became the premier source of high school media coverage in the state of Maryland. In 2022, he sold VSN to The Baltimore Banner and joined SBLive Sports as the company's East Coast Managing Editor.

Home/Georgia