LUTZ, Fla. -- Garret Cates spends lot of time upside down. Upside down just feels right for this Steinbrenner High senior. When it come to long snapping, nobody does it better than Garret. 

“Whenever we have to yell out punt alert, you know as a coach, you always cringe a little bit,” Steinbrenner head coach Andres Perez-Reinaldo. “But when you have a guy like Garret who is going to be snapping the ball, you just don’t worry about it.”

Why worry when you have the nation’s No. 1 ranked long snapper. That’s the title Garret earned this offseason. While a pandemic took over his football world, Garrett’s been perfecting his long snapping skills. And there is an art to it.

“It all starts with the beginning position, getting your legs set, your feet set, chest up, breathing you definitely want to keep under control, good breathing,” Garret said.

And then snap. The good ones make it look easy. But playing one of the most unheralded positions on a football team is anything but.

“He’s probably one of the most unselfish guys I’ve ever coached,” defensive line coach Jose Jordan said. “He plays every position on the defensive line from nose guard to tackle to end.  He can do it all and he brings such a great energy and positivity.”

Garret and his Steinbrenner teammates reached unprecedented heights last season when they advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in school history. The ride reminded Garret why he loves this sport so much.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been wanting to play football,” Garret said.

And he wants to continue this football journey in college.

“Just want to play at the next level and get another group of brothers and play another couple of years of football, if I can,” Garret said.

Being No. 1 in the nation will help his cause. So will Garret’s work ethic, which is a defining characteristic that separates the goods from the greats.

“That is the hard work and dedication that that man has put in,” Perez-Reinaldo said. “And just the time and effort and the consistency and the grind to make it happen. He’s reaping the benefits now.”