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There have been only 13 successful field goal attempts of 60 yards or more in the NFL since the merger in 1970.
Ryan Fitzgerald, a Junior at Colquitt County high school in Moultrie, GA, accomplished that feat last Friday night in a very unusual way.
With 0:14 left in the first half of their GHSA 7A quarterfinal game, the Archer Tigers were forced to punt from deep within their own territory. The Tigers got off a decent kick with enough hangtime to require a fair catch at the 50 yard line.
Here's where it gets interesting.
An obscure rule in both high school and professional football states that a team that receives a fair catch has the option to take a free kick from the spot of the fair catch. The opposing team must treat this as a free kick and remain 10 yards back of the line of scrimmage. If the kick goes through the uprights, it's worth three points, just like a field goal.