Zach Moyer was like most kids growing up.

“Ever since I was little, I always wanted to dunk,” Moyer said. “And I always wanted to jump high.”

The Northern Lehigh senior has had little trouble doing either during his career.

An accomplished basketball player, Moyer was named to the Colonial League Boys Basketball Coaches Association’s All-League Second Team after leading the Bulldogs in scoring at 15.3 points per game. He was the team’s leading scorer in 17 of its 22 games.

But Moyer has really soared off the court.

He tied the school record in the high jump a year ago, clearing 6-6. Moyer cleared 6-2 to tie with two other jumpers and place eighth in the Class 2A high jump at states last season.

The event has been the perfect fit for Moyer, who recently announced he will continue his track and field career at Rider University.

“High jump was just the best of both worlds for me, because it could highlight my jumping ability,” he said. “Every kid likes to jump up and touch the ceiling sometimes when they’re little. It’s kind of like that, but on a bigger scale. I just really like that.

“And my mom (Christine Moyer) did it in high school, and she got me into it. I’ve just loved it ever since.”

Moyer’s upward trajectory continued with personal bests across the board last season.

He qualified for states in the high jump for the second straight year, hitting the state qualifying standard with a leap of 6-3 for a runner-up finish at districts. He also cleared 6-3 to capture the Colonial League title.

Those distances were huge improvements over his sophomore year when Moyer cleared 5-10 at districts to place second from last. That came on the heels of a fifth-place finish at the Colonial League Championships that season.

Moyer’s mark of 6-6 is tied with Jon Heberling for the school record in high jump. Heberling set the mark in 2008 - and Moyer had hoped to top it this season.

Those plans have changed with schools closed and the spring sports season delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In addition to his success in the high jump, Moyer was also third at districts in the triple jump last season with a leap of 42-2.25. Robert Shoff set the school record in the event at 44-0 in 2018.

Moyer has worked to stay prepared for if - or when - the season comes.

“I’m doing the same workouts I did my sophomore year into my junior year, actually,” he said. “It’s all been in my basement; all hurdles, and jumping with weighted vests. I’ve just been doing that nonstop during this break.”

Moyer will study information systems at Rider.

In addition to Rider, Moyer also considered Misericordia University, Bucknell University, Saint Francis University (PA) and King’s College. The decision came down to Rider and Misericordia, but Moyer knew which school felt like the right fit.

“In the long run, I felt academically that Rider would give me the best opportunity, and that definitely helped me make my decision,” said Moyer. “I really tried to look at it from a student-athlete perspective.”

While confident it will be a great combination in the classroom, Moyer is also hoping the school will suit his needs as he prepares to take another step up in his jumping career.

“They have two people who work with the high jumpers, so you kind of get two points of view,” said Moyer. “I think that will really help, because one might be looking at certain aspects of your technique, while the other could be looking at your approach. It’s really the best of both worlds.”

Just like the high jump has been for Moyer.