McCrea becomes PPK NFL Team Champion in Seattle
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Micalann McCrea appears on the jumbotron in Seattle.</span></p>
Thirteen-year-old Micalann McCrea of Ronan earned the honor of NFL Team Champion at the regional NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) competition held December 8th in Seattle. McCrea, who also won her age group at the same event in 2010, easily outdistanced her nearest rival by over 70 feet in the event.
Thirteen-year-old Micalann McCrea of Ronan earned the honor of NFL Team Champion at the regional NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) competition held December 8th in Seattle. McCrea, who also won her age group at the same event in 2010, easily outdistanced her nearest rival by over 70 feet in the event.
In addition, 9-year-old Cade Morgan of Columbia Falls, 13-year-old Bradley Haller of Helena, and 15-year-old Gabe Peppenger of Missoula all took 2nd place honors at the competition.
Finally, 11-year-old Tanner Devlin of Missoula placed 3rd, and 7-year-old Sydney Wolsky of Corvallis and 8-year-old Adriana Tatukivei of Ronan placed 4th in Seattle.
All the Montana youngsters competing in Seattle had to win not only their respective local PPK and the western Montana sectional event, held October 7th in Missoula, but also be in the top 4 of the 14 other sectional age-group winners in the Seahawks’ region, which includes all of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Western Montana has had at least one Team Champion since it began to compete in the regional competition in 1995.
McCrea is the 28th Team Champion from Western Montana during that period.
At a similar event held in Denver on December 2nd, 13-year-old Kolbe Murray of Malta won the boys’ 12-13 age group, and thirteen other youths from central and eastern Montana competed at the Denver competition.
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 2013.
At this time McCrea is not ranked in the top four, but Murray is the top-ranked qualifier with only 12 more NFL teams to report, so his chances to make the national finals PPK appear good at this time.
Montana has produced five national PPK finalists over the last 17 years, with two national champions and two runner-ups at that level.