Lake County youth shine at Seattle PPK regional competition
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Although Montana has never had their own NFL football team, its youth dominate the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick regional competition that also includes competitors from Alaska, Oregon and Washington. Winners are decided by a cumulative total of feet as they each punt, pass and kick a football.
On Dec. 1, two Lake County youths — 7-year-old Izabel Evans of St. Ignatius and 13-year-old Zeke Misa of Ronan — each earned the honor of becoming an NFL Team Champion by placing first in their age groups at the regional NFL Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) competition held in Seattle.
Izabel is a Denver Broncos fan, with her favorite player being none other than the great Peyton Manning. The St. Ignatius elementary student said fans at the Seattle Seahawks’ stadium were so loud that the ground was shaking, but she loved that all those fans were watching her demonstrate her winning football skills. During Sunday’s competition, she blew far ahead of any girl in her 6-7 year old age group with a cumulative score of 105 feet, three inches; she punted nearly 17 feet further than the second place finisher from Oregon, who scored a cumulative total of 63 feet, one inch.
Zeke passed 17 feet further and kicked 34 feet further than the second-place winner in the 12 and 13 year old age group. Although Zeke’s favorite NFL player is Adrian Peterson, he was pretty happy Seahawks QB Russell Wilson said “hi” to him as he passed by.
At the same event, 8-year-old Chloe Davis of Ronan finished a close second in her age group, missing first place by a cumulative total just nine inches yet kicking three feet further than the first-place winner. Chloe, who sometimes plays football at school, said her favorite player is Drew Brees.
Ronan students Eric Dolence, 11, and Micalaan McCrea, 14, both placed fourth in their divisions. Eric said he was nervous at first, but then the competition as just fun. Micalaan, in her third year of competing, agreed the 68,000 Seahawks fans were “really loud.”
Four other Montana youths competed at the Seattle event: 9-year-old Louis Sanders Jr. of Missoula; Mikalyn Brickley, 11, Corvallis; Natalie Goodman, 13, Missoula; McKenzie Holt, 15, Thompson Falls.
Competitors were given two free tickets to the Monday Night Football Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints game a day after the competition. At halftime, competitors took the field for a demo.
All the Montana youngsters competing in Seattle had to win not only their respective local PPK and the western Montana sectional event, held Oct. 6 in Missoula, but also be in the top four of the 14 other sectional age-group winners in the Seahawks’ region.
The nine competitors above from western Montana are the most ever to qualify for the Seattle event. Western Montana has had at least one Team Champion since it began to compete in the regional competition in 1995. Evans and Misa are the 29th and 30th Team Champions from Western Montana during that period. Four other Montana youths competed last weekend at a regional event in Denver.
Only the top four finishers in each age group from the 32 NFL team champions advance to the national Punt, Pass & Kick championship, to be held at an NFL playoff game in January 2014.
Montana has produced six national PPK finalists over the last 18 years, with two national champions and two runner-ups at that level.
Results:
Izabel Evans, St Ignatius: Punt 36’ 10” Pass 36’ 3” Kick 32’ 2” Total 105’ 3”
Chloe Davis, Ronan: Punt 41’ 9” Pass 37’ 2” Kick 43’ 8” Total 122’ 7”
Micalann McCrea, Ronan: Punt 70’ 2” Pass 86’ 2” Kick 52’ 11” Total 209’ 3”
Ezekiel (Zeke) Misa, Ronan: Punt 65’ 0” Pass 134’ 7” Kick 92’ 9” Total 292’ 4”
Eric Dolence, Ronan: Punt 60’ 11” Pass 95’ 2” Kick 54’ 10” Total 210’ 11”
