A 16-year-old former Wanganui High School student had his Friday Night Lights moment last week when Cullen Cornaga made the dream play for any high school football kicker - nailing the winning field goal with time up on the clock.
In his third season at Tokay High School in California, Cornaga was the hero of the Tigers' 22-21 win over the Lincoln Trojans in their varsity game in Stockton when he came on and slotted a 31 yard (28.35m) kick after only a few warm-ups.
Cornaga had been impressive with the team in his second year, but illness midway through the current season saw him miss some time and the backup kicker, Modesto Cruz, had done well enough to keep the role when the ex-pat Kiwi returned.
But in a thrilling game, the Trojans came back at the Tigers in the third and fourth quarters to score 21 unanswered points, while Cruz missed a couple of field goals.
Having lost the lead, it fell to Cornaga to save the Tigers on the final play and he did just that, setting off a big celebration for the school on the 30 yard line.