St. Ignatius retains traveling trophy award as eight from Western Montana qualify for Regional Punt, Pass & Kick

All eight sectional winners from Western Montana have qualified to compete in the NFL Team Championship of the NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) program. The competition will be held in Seattle on Dec. 9 just prior to the Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals NFL game. The eight youths, their age and home towns are: Kendyl Boltz, 9, and Matt Berg, 15, of Butte; Emilio Bravo, 9, and Austin Durglo, 13, of St. Ignatius; Tay Hall, 11, of Choteau; McKenzie Johnston, 11, of Helena; Riley Kenny, 13, of Polson; and Katie Fitzpatrick, 14, of Ronan.

Berg, Bravo, Durglo, Johnston, and Kenny have previously represented Montana at the Seattle competition, and Bravo won the boys' 8-9 year-old age group at last year's event.

The Seattle Seahawks' region includes all of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, plus Western Montana. The five Montana youngsters had to not only win their respective local PPK competition and the western Montana sectional event, held in Missoula on October 7th, but also be in the top 5 of the 14 other sectional age-group winners in the Seahawks' region. Montana also qualifies youths from other parts of the state for the Denver and Minnesota NFL Team Championships.

Western Montana youths have fared well at the Seattle regional competition, never failing to win at least one age-group championship over the past twelve years, and winning three age-group championships in two of those years. In 2006, in addition to Bravo, then 14 year-old Rodee Anderson of Hamilton not only won in Seattle, but was a top 10 qualifier nationally for his age group. To advance to the national PPK championship in January, the youths competing in Seattle must win that event and be one of the top four scorers among all other regional winners represented by the 32 NFL teams throughout the country. Montana has produced four national finalists and two national champions, all in the last five years.

In a related matter, the St. Ignatius PPK team captured the Montana Jaycees Traveling Trophy for the state of Montana for the second year in a row. The award goes to the team with the highest average ranking among all other local or school teams competing at the three sectionals conducted in the state. In 2007, there were a total of 35 towns and schools competing in Montana. The St. Ignatius team was made up of sectional champions Bravo and Durglo, plus Will Powell, 11, Janeal McDonald, 13, and Kyla Mitchell, 14. The St. Ignatius team was followed in order by teams from Kalipell, Helena Middle School, Helena, and Baker.