DALLAS – One of the top high school football kickers in the state and the son of a former Dallas City Council member is kicking for a cause this year.

The Jesuit Dallas senior is raising money for a local recovery program, and every kick counts.

His field goals and extra points have helped his team win games. But this season, those points mean so much more. 

As a third-year varsity starter for the Jesuit Dallas football team, Noah McGough is no stranger to the pressure of putting his best foot forward.

The senior student doesn’t miss field goals too often. McGough is ranked one of the top field goal kickers in the country. 

Last season, McGough scored the most field goals in Texas with a total of 17. This year, he wants those kicks to mean more than just field goals and extra points. 

“I want to use every gift God’s given me to love and serve others,” he said.

The high school senior plans to do this by asking people to make a dollar amount pledge for every point he scores throughout the season. 

“I love kicking,” he said. “And to be able to use that to help others and create change just makes it all the better.” 

McGough’s efforts will help the Men of Nehemiah, a faith-based recovery program for men battling drug and alcohol addiction. 

Jim Ramsey is the CEO of Men of Nehemiah. He says the donations will go towards helping the organization expand to serve more men and families. 

“He’s very good at what he does. We’re very good at what we do,” he said. “So it’s a great way to put the two things together.” 

“I want them to feel that they’re sharing God’s love with others. They are helping people who need help,” McGough said.

The fundraiser is a true combination of McGough’s two passions: helping others and playing football. 

“Because every kick matters,” he said. “But this year, every kick has more significance.” 

McGough says he’s already received $100 in pledges. 

The first exhibition game for Jesuit Dallas is this Friday against Flower Mound. 

If Jesuit makes it to the playoffs, McGough says he’ll continue to kick for a cause. 

The Dallas Mavericks were able to pry Klay Thompson away from the Golden State Warriors, the only franchise he’s ever played for, signing him to a 3-year, $50 million contract this offseason. According to Mavs’ head coach Jason Kidd, they wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of Kyrie Irving.

Kidd recently appeared on NBC Sports’ “Dubs Talk” and spoke on Irving’s importance to recruiting Klay Thompson. “When you talk about the recruitment, it was a lot of people that were involved in that. But one of the biggest players in that was Kai. Kai being able to, player to player, (detail) his experience of what Dallas has been like for him in two years and being able to tell Klay the honest truth of what he thinks can happen with Klay coming to Dallas.”

READ MORE: 5 Times Kyrie Irving Had Dallas Mavericks Fans In Disbelief Last Season

Kyrie Irving was in a similar mindset to Klay Thompson when he was traded to Dallas, as he was labeled as an outcast and a toxic personality after bad tenures with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. Thompson’s PR hasn’t taken that much of a hit, but he’d also been restless with the Warriors after feeling disrespected in contract negotiations. He saw the Warriors’ front office prioritize extensions for Draymond Green and Jordan Poole while he was left to the side, at least in his mind.

Irving felt reinvigorated in a wildly successful season with Dallas this year, averaging 25.6 PPG while helping the Mavs to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. He saw the entire organization go out of its way to make him feel comfortable, including hiring a private chef to have meals ready for him during Ramadan.

After a disappointing season with the Warriors, Thompson hopes a change of scenery is what the doctor ordered to find happiness in basketball again. He had an incredible run with Golden State, winning four championships and making five All-Star games while sitting sixth all-time in made three-pointers. While he’s no longer playing alongside his Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, running with Irving and Luka Doncic will be a dangerous offense to contend with.

READ MORE: Breaking Down Melvin Ajinca, the Dallas Mavericks’ 2024 Second-Round Pick

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