Video: First 5 games
See highlights from Skyler Southam's first five games this season.
HEBER CITY, Utah – Breaking records comes with the territory for
Skyler Southam.
The
Wasatch (Heber City) senior has made a name for himself as one of the nation's best high school kickers. Southam made 19 field goals for the Wasps during the regular season, setting a state record for most field goals made in a single season. He has also made 35 career field goals, which is the most for any Utah high school kicker past and present.
It seems fitting that Southam captured the single-season record on the longest field goal of his varsity career. He made one from 53 yards – the third of a career-best five field goals he made to fuel a 22-7 victory over Maple Mountain earlier this month.
The kick wasn't as clean as he would have liked. Southam kicked into the wind and the ball nearly dropped to the ground before reaching the crossbar. It had just enough oomph to clear that final hurdle.
"I snuck it in there," Southam said. "I was just happy to get it in. It wasn't the best kick, but it went through."
Southam's five field goals helped him eclipse the single-season record of 17 field goals set by South Summit kicker Curtis McEntire in 1999 and matched by Alta kicker Vance "Moose" Bingham in 2009. He also tied a single-game record set by Mountain View kicker Brian Smith in 2005 and matched by Pine View kicker Ethan Baer in 2014.
His consistency as a kicker and punter has helped guarantee Wasatch (8-2) a winning record for the first time since 2012. Southam has made 19 of 25 field goals and 31 of 32 PATs this season. 56 of his 58 kickoffs have been touchbacks. As a punter, Southam is averaging 44.5 yards per punt on 31 punts – with a season long of 58 yards. Seventeen of his punts have pinned opponents inside their own 20.
"Your game plan changes with him in the game," Wasatch coach Steve Coburn said. "We don't have to take as many chances."
Southam automatically became a kicker when he started playing football in sixth grade. He already played soccer, so kicking a football wasn't a foreign concept. Even at that young age, no one else could kick it farther than Southam.
When he entered high school, Southam applied himself seriously to becoming the best kicker and punter possible. His dad gave him a Christmas present that really got the ball rolling – tutoring from kicking coach Dan Zeidman, owner of Lifetime Kicking Academy.
Zeidman helped Southam shed bad kicking habits and develop good ones. Southam was exposed to kicking mechanics and techniques that fundamentally changed how he approached that aspect of the game.
"He came and taught me a ton in a short period of time," Southam said. "And I thought, 'Wow. This is something I can be good at.' So I continued to work on it to where it has become my thing."
Southam put himself on the college football radar with one impressive performance after another. 247Sports rated him as the No. 2 kicker in the Class of 2016. He also earned an invitation to the prestigious 2016 Army All-American Bowl.
Southam soon found himself getting offers from several major universities. He narrowed it down to Stanford, California and BYU before committing to play for the Cougars. Southam plans to graduate from high school early and will depart on an LDS Mission to Santiago, Chile in March before returning to play for BYU in 2018.
Skyler Southam, Wasatch
Photo by Jeff Porcaro
"I've always felt at home there," Southam said about BYU. "I love the coaches there. They're all great guys, so I kind of fell in love with the coaching staff and, right away, it felt like home and felt like where I was supposed to go."
Special teams is not the only area where Southam has made an impact for Wasatch. He has also started in the secondary for the past two seasons. At defensive back this year, Southam has made 37 tackles and four interceptions.
Playing defense, Coburn said, has helped Southam become a complete player in all phases of the game. It has also helped elevate him to someone who is simply more than just a kicker or punter.
"He knows our defense inside and out," Coburn said. "He has started two years for us there and played there three years. He can make all of our secondary adjustments. He's a great student of the game."
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
