50 yards is how far senior Braden Moore kicked the record breaking field goal during the Flushing Homecoming game to now hold the school title. After a record breaking season,  Moore was awarded first team all state, as one of the top three high school kickers in the state. 

“It was a great accomplishment,” Moore said. “It was a huge step towards my collegiate goal and getting my name out there. The support from my friends, family, and teammates is what led me to this achievement.”

The support Moore mentions can be attributed to one of Fenton High School’s own school aids and mother of the kicker, Amy Moore. Mrs. Moore claims that it’s the competitive edge within her son that has caused him to be so driven. 

“As a parent, I played the role of starting to enforce things young,” Mrs. Moore said. “Making sure he got to practice on time, making sure his grades were good and more. Other than that, he pretty much did it all on his own. I mean, I pushed him to be better, but he has always been pretty self driven— he’s harder on himself than anyone else.”

Moore started his football career after having a falling out with soccer which he had played for nine years. From there, he says that the transition to becoming a kicker on the football team was easy. Football soon became Moore’s number one priority. 

“We don’t raise quitters,” Mrs. Moore said. “Our big motto is you practice the way you play. You give it your 110 percent during practice, during games, and that’s exactly what Braden does for the football team”

Grit is not the only thing that helped Moore; he also has team chemistry on his side, which was one of his favorite parts of the season.  

“I would say that this year’s program was really close with the whole program: not just varsity, freshman and JV. Fenton football’s legacy is chemistry. We have to be able to trust one another and put the play in someone else’s hands and trust they’re going to do the job” 

The immense team chemistry the Tigers had during the 19-20 varsity season wouldn’t have been possible without Moore, senior Ethan Pyeatt claims. According to Pyeatt, Moore has a good relationship with everyone on the team and is a leader; he holds his teammates accountable to do the right thing while also doing it himself. 

“As a kicker he is not required to go through the same practice as most of the team,” Pyeatt said. “It didn’t matter if our practices were two hours or 8 hours long, he would be there the whole time. He would stay to the very end to run conditioning with us, even though he was already done an hour ago. It truly shows how much he cared about us and the team.”

Pyeatt and Moore are close on the field and off of the field. For this reason, Moore chooses to only let Pyeatt hold the ball for him when he kicks.

“It took some convincing for the coaches,” Pyeatt said, “but ultimately, being close friends off the field builds that comfort zone on the field. He trusts that I am going to put him in the best position to succeed, and I know that he will get it done. We’ve got the dynamics down because we are comfortable together. You could call me his good luck charm.”

Continuing on to play football at a collegiate level, Moore is prepared to face the pressures of being a kicker. 

“Although [it is] funny, there’s a stigma surrounding kickers that can be negative. People that understand football recognize that kickers are a large aspect of the game, but for those that don’t, they undermine us. kickers let their game do the talking. When we lose a game, sure, the kickers will get hated on and receive notes in the mail, but when we win a game everybody loves us. It’s definitely a love-hate relationship there.”

Moore is continuing his football career next year at Trine University in Indiana.