Gig Harbor kicker Kinney boasts big leg for Tides football

Gig Harbor High School senior kicker Logan Kinney has a strong leg. He’s knocked in field goals from over 50 yards during practice. In last week’s game against Yelm at Roy Anderson Field, he made his longest varsity field goal yet, connecting from 44 yards in the first quarter.

“It wasn’t too special,” Kinney said. “In practice, we kick from over 44 every day.”

The longest kick he’s made in practice came from 54 yards. Kinney said he feels comfortable in the 40s, and can hit in the low 50s if he connects well.

Kinney also handles kickoff and punting duties for the Tides.

“He’s really good,” said Gig Harbor coach George Fairhart. “We ask him to do a lot of different things. We try to spot kick a lot in the kicking game, go coffin corner and things like that in the punting game. He has the ability to boom them. He’s very athletic.”

Kinney was somewhat down on himself after last week’s 16-13 loss to Yelm. While he connected on his first two field goal attempts of the game, he missed the last two, which could’ve been the difference maker in the tight contest.

“I can definitely do better,” he said. “It was probably more mental than anything. ... I just try to have a short memory.”

Kinney has been kicking in football since fourth grade. Last spring, he was an all-league, all-area and all-state selection as a center back for the Gig Harbor soccer team.

“The leg strength comes from soccer, but I really have trained myself to be a kicker, and not just a soccer-style kicker,” Kinney said.

The technique for kicking in the two sports, obviously, is different.

“In soccer, there’s no 100 percent right way to kick it,” Kinney said. “You just kind of do it how you do it. In football, you’re taught to keep your leg straight, your body straight. You swing is a lot higher. Everything is really direct toward the ball.”

Despite Kinney’s up-and-down performance from a week ago, Fairhart still has plenty of confidence in his kicker.

“If we’re in those situations again, we’re not going to hesitate to give him a shot there,” Fairhart said. “You always worry about a kid’s confidence when they miss a field goal. So we just let him know that we believe in him and coach him up.”

Kickers and specialists often work on their own in football practice, away from the rest of the team. It takes a unique demeanor and work ethic in a player to be successful in that position.

“Being a kicker, you have to be very self-motivated,” Fairhart said. “He is. He’s a hard working kid, a good teammate and works hard independently.”

Kinney put last week behind him and said he’s ready to help the team get back on track, after an 0-2 start in league, with losses to Timberline and Yelm. Gig Harbor faces North Thurston on Friday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m. at Roy Anderson Field.

“I just want to increase my accuracy with my field goals, be more consistent and be a bigger factor for the team, help them out more,” Kinney said.

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 9:16 AM.