Alex Eckard has booted 184 extra points in his four-year Linganore career, setting the MPSSAA record. "I am really blessed to be on a team like this that scores 70 to 80 touchdowns in a season," he said. VIDEO: Game of the Week: TJ (5-3) vs. LHS (8-0)

Working alone, several yards from most of his teammates, senior kicker Alex Eckard goes through monotonous sequences of dropping and catching the ball and driving his legs through the air on phantom punts and kicks. He finds it to be the best way to kill a three-hour practice that largely doesn't involve him.

"Sometimes you wish you were running around to make the time go by faster," he said.

There are no such issues on Friday nights for Eckard, who is one of the busiest guys on the field during games. His work is impossible to ignore.

For the last four years, no Linganore player has scored more frequently or been more responsible for pinning the opposition deep in its own end than Eckard.

In fact, Eckard holds the state record for made extra points. It stands at 184 heading into Friday's showdown at Thomas Johnson.

"I never even thought about it until somebody brought it to my attention," he said. "It's pretty awesome to see your name in there. I am really just blessed to be on a team like this that scores 70 to 80 touchdowns in a season."

But Eckard realizes kicking for such a team does have its drawbacks. Since the Lancers (8-0) are so proficient at finding the end zone, Eckard rarely gets to show off his strong right leg in other areas.

In last week's 40-7 victory at Tuscarora, Eckard experienced an anomaly. He was asked to punt five times. That's roughly the number of field goals he's attempted this season.

"I've always thought that if I played for another school, I might get to kick a little more. But I probably wouldn't win as much," he said. "That's the important thing."

Football was never going to be Eckard's calling. He is a soccer player at heart.

But the Lancers needed a place kicker during his freshman year. At the encouragement of his father, Bill, who played football in high school and college, Eckard decided to try out.

After watching a few attempts, Linganore coach Rick Conner called him over and said, "Look, let's cut right to the chase. You are the best place kicker I've got. I am going to need you to make some during games."

Eckard's response: "It was pretty nerve-wracking. I was like, 'Ahhhh, OK coach.'"

Eckard was never a serious weight lifter until he met Conner. And nothing's had a greater impact on his kicking.

As a freshman, Eckard would have needed a perfect strike to make a 40-yarder. Now he's quite comfortable kicking anything around 50.

Conner also likes to point out that just about two-thirds of Eckard's kickoffs sail into the end zone for touchbacks.

"It makes it much harder for teams to score against us when they are constantly looking at long fields," Conner said.

Before he graduates, Eckard would like to top his career-best field goal of 49 yards, a maddening distance for any kicker.

"It's like having a 295-pound bench press," Conner said.

Eckard is also hoping his leg will help land him a scholarship, a goal he's had for a long time.

"When I go to a college game, I'll sit there and watch the kickers," he said. "See how they warm-up. See how they handle certain situations. I try and put myself in their shoes."

Before long, Eckard may find himself facing a similar situation.