Ohio girl's field goal believed to be longest by female in a game

[underpants]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Ohio-girl-s-kick-believed-to-be-longest-by-femal?urn=highschool-277779


Female kickers across the country generally generate attention for two things: Playing football and being female. Akron, Ohio's Alana Gaither, however, is earning serious acclaim for a third reason: She's a truly outstanding kicker, as backed up by a recent field goal believed to be the longest ever made by a girl in a competitive football game, at the high school level or higher.

According to Akron's WKYC.com, Gaither hit a 43-yard field goal just before halftime during her Firestone (Ohio) High School team's 45-6 win over city rival Ellet on Oct. 8. The kick was the final play of the first half and easily sailed through the uprights, with some in attendance estimating the kick would have easily been good from 48 yards, too.

The Akron Beacon-Journal reported that John Gillis, the assistant director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, has said that the kick qualifies as a national record for a female high school kicker. Further research has failed to find any evidence of a kick made by a female kicker from farther than 43 yards in college football, which would mean Gaither's record extends beyond just high school football.

The 43-yarder was the first field goal Gaither had hit from beyond 40 yards in a game, though she has reportedly connected on kicks from beyond 50 yards in practice. Having seen that, Gaither's teammates were hardly surprised when she nailed her record-setting kick in a game.

[Tobin S.]

1. Excellent!

Good job, Alana.