Three steps back. Two steps to the side. Arm out. Leg straight. Head down. Follow through.

Archbishop McCarthy sophomore Marshall Morgan might start his kick attempts like many other place kickers, but he is finishing them off at a rate no one in Broward County can match this year.

``I've worked with the best kickers in this county in the last 11 years,'' Mavericks special teams coach Tim Conrad said. ``[Morgan is] the furthest along of any kicker I've ever worked with for his age.''

Morgan, an All-State punter last year, leads Miami-Dade and Broward counties with 11 field goals on 13 attempts, which is five more makes than his closest competitor, St. Thomas Aquinas' Michael Palardy.

He also leads both counties with 67 points and consistently puts kickoffs into the end zone.

Morgan and the special teams -- which blocked two punts Thursday against Pembroke Pines Charter -- are a big part of the Mavericks' (8-0) success. If McCarthy defeats Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, it will clinch the school's first district title.

In a position so underused in high schools that some programs don't have a specialized place kicker and opt for 2-point conversions or go for it on fourth-down, Morgan is a valuable weapon.

``When we get inside that 30 [yard line], we're getting points,'' McCarthy coach John Timmins said. ``It's a huge weapon to think that way. -- He's gonna put it through the uprights.''

The team has so much confidence in him that he was given a shot at a 55-yard field goal at the end of the first half in last Thursday night's victory.

He missed it a tad to the left, but the attempt alone said plenty about Timmins' belief in his ability.

``They have a lot of faith,'' Morgan said. ``Instead of just punting the ball, they might as well give me a chance.''

Morgan began kicking when he took up football in sixth grade. The coaches at his first practice asked if anyone knew how to kick, and Morgan -- who had played soccer for five years -- volunteered with four other kids for the kicking job.

He blew the others out of the water. When Conrad got a hold of Morgan last year, the special teams coach knew he had a prize in his hands.

Conrad also has coached Palardy -- the nation's top kicking prospect this season and a Tennessee commit -- and Michigan State kicker Brett Swenson, a senior and candidate for the Lou Groza award, which goes to the nation's top place kicker.

Still, Morgan has been a better student than any of them, Conrad said.

``He's the most coachable guy I've ever worked with,'' Conrad said. ``This kid will come up to me during school in between classes and say, `What can I do to get better?' ''

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@