High school football traditions are hard to break. Programs stick to what works, from old-school playbooks to typical body types for every position. Linemen are massive, quarterbacks are tall, and kickers are usually compact soccer converts. Then you run into a high school squad featuring a specialist who towers over everyone on the field.
At St. Bernard High, football coach Dean Herrington has a secret weapon who completely changes how people look at special teams. His name is Garang-Garang Macham, and standing at a staggering 6 feet 9 inches, he might just be the tallest high school football kicker in the entire state of California. Meanwhile, you can read similar events here: Why The Washington Indycar Race Just Upended Everything We Knew About D.c. Events.
The Ultimate Cross-Sport Experiment
Most athletes who hit nearly seven feet tall spend their entire lives locked into basketball. Macham is primarily a hoops player, bringing an elite vertical presence to the hardwood. But high school sports schedules often allow for multi-sport experimentation if a kid has the coordination to pull it off.
Kicking a football cleanly requires rigid mechanics, explosive hip rotation, and repeatable timing. When you introduce long levers like 6-foot-9 legs into that equation, physics works a bit differently. You have a massive arc, which can create a terrifyingly high launch angle. Opposing blockers trying to get a hand on a field goal or extra point find themselves staring up at a human skyscraper. To see the full picture, check out the recent article by Sky Sports.
"It's wild watching him approach the ball," a local scout noted. "You just don't see that kind of extension on a kickoff."
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Why Height is a Double-Edged Sword for Kickers
People assume height is an instant advantage on the gridiron. In reality, tall kickers face unique biomechanical hurdles.
- Leverage management: A longer leg means a wider radius. If your timing is off by even a millisecond, the margin for error on a clean strike shrinks.
- Low trajectory risks: If a tall kicker doesn't get enough loft, their natural angle can sometimes flatten out compared to a compact soccer-style boot.
- Consistency: Repeating the exact same plant foot placement becomes harder when your center of gravity sits so high off the turf.
Despite these hurdles, Macham stepped onto the gridiron under Herrington's guidance and immediately made noise. Nailing pressure kicks isn't about how tall you are, but when you combine basketball footwork with raw leg strength, the upside is massive.
What This Means for Special Teams Recruiting
College scouts pay attention to anomalies. While a 6-foot-9 kicker is an absolute novelty in Southern California high school sports, college programs love players with unique athletic profiles who can develop. If a tall prospect can consistently boot kickoffs through the end zone while maintaining a clean operation time, special teams coordinators will take notice.
For now, St. Bernard gets to enjoy the luxury of having a giant weapon on the sidelines. Opposing coaches will spend extra time drawing up block schemes, wondering how to get past a guy who looks like a tight end lining up to kick an extra point.
Don't be surprised if other basketball programs across the state start sending their bench players out to try out for field goal duties. Athleticism wins games, and height never hurts.
