From a young age, Zach Tayman (‘26) had a love for sports. Watching his father’s passion for sports, especially revolving around football, sparked his own passion.
Tayman was team captain for the 25-26 school year and was a major part of the AGHS offense. In his last game of the CIF season, he scored a touchdown on only 13 carries and rushed for 126 yards; his longest rush was 60 yards.
Tayman strived to be the best version of himself day in and day out.
“I’m in a position where I get to help motivate people and lead, and I have a lot of fun doing that,” Tayman said.
Tayman not only enjoyed his individual growth during the football season, but also watching all players come together as a team.
“You can always have individual accomplishments, but winning with your team is a lot more satisfying,” Tayman said.
Tayman managed to upkeep a 4.3 GPA throughout the football season, showing his ability to balance sports and academics.
Tayman’s older brother, Ryan Tayman, plays collegiate baseball for Cal Poly SLO. This has set the bar high for Tayman, pushing him to strive for higher goals.
His brother has given him inspiration and reassurance that he can do hard things, too.
By the end of the season, he was ranked 47th in California for his rushing yards at the high school level.
Varsity Coach Michael Hartman was proud to call Tayman his team captain this past season.
“He epitomizes what you want in an athlete; he’s great in his academics, he cares about his teammates, [and] he works extremely hard… he sets a good example not only on the field and in practice, but in the weight room and in the classroom, and that’s exactly what you want your athletes to be like,” Hartman said.
Newest AGHS Varsity Coach Stephen Field also had the opportunity to help coach and mentor Tayman.
“He’s an amazing kid to coach and he’s a great person. We are super proud of him and glad that we [got] to finish the year with him and looking forward to seeing him with big, big things in the future as well,” Field said. “He has an amazing work ethic; he’s able to do what he’s got to do and doesn’t have to say much… he’s got a quiet confidence about him that people gravitate towards.”
Throughout the season, Tayman kept a positive attitude and set a great example for his fellow teammates while fulfilling his role as team captain.
“Zack is a great natural leader and brings others along with him, he sets the tone in the weight room and on the field,” Tayman’s teammate, Kess Youngkin (‘27), said. “Zack is as authentic as it gets and wears AG with pride.”
