Local kids do well at Western Montana Punt, Pass and Kick competition

Eighty-four boys and girls ages 6-15 participated at the Western Montana Sectional competition of the NFL Punt Pass & Kick program held October 5 in Missoula. Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth Bluemel of Ronan set an age group record in the punting event, with her mark of 116 feet, 4 inches, besting the previous state mark by over twelve feet.  Her effort also carried her to the age group title.  Youths from the Thompson Falls area garnered three first place titles at the event, with Hamilton, Ronan, and St. Ignatius kids each gathering five placement honors by finishing either first, second or third.

Local kids who placed in the top three included Mission’s Ashlynn Meyer, who took second in the 6-7 division, and Ronan’s Angie Adams, who was right behind her in third. In the girls 8-9 division, Ronan’s Kadynce Couture won, and Mission’s Izabel Evans took third. In the boys 10-11, Bryce Umphrey of Mission took second. In the same division on the girls’ side, Ronan’s Chloe Davis took third. Elizabeth Bluemel of Ronan won the girls 12-13 division, and Mission’s Addison Arlint was second. Ronan’s Kuba Detwiler took second in the 14-15 boys’ division, and Mission’s Darius Redstar was third.

A special presentation was held to honor the 2014 national PPK champion, then-7-year-old Easton Reimers from Missoula, and 3rd place national finisher then-14-year-old Calla Haldorson from Hamilton.  Calla kept up her winning ways by earning top honors in the 14-15 age group. The event was hosted for the 11th year by the Kiwanis Club of Missoula, with assistance from area high school Key Clubs and UM’s Circle K Club.  Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Missoula provided both free Gatorade T-shirts and beverages to all competitors. 

All age group first place finishers are now eligible to compete in the Seattle Seahawks regional competition, but must await the results of all other sectionals, approximately twelve, conducted this month throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Only the top four sectional winners advance to the Seattle event, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 28, prior to the Seahawks game on Sunday, November 29 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.  

Western Montana has traditionally qualified many of its age group champions for the Seattle event, with six out of ten age group winners advancing in 2014.  Also, at least one of the Montana sectional winners has gone on to claim the Seattle Seahawks Team Championship for an age group each year since the current program was re-established in 1995.  Western Montana garnered three individual championships in Seattle in 2014, with the aforementioned Easton Reimers and Calla Haldorson eventually advancing to the 2014 National PPK Championship event.  

The top three finishers in the sectional competition and their combined score (total distance in the three events) were as follows:

NFL Punt, Pass and Kick

Missoula

Boys 6-7

1. Talen Thatcher, Butte  127’ 8”

2. Evan Silva, Hamilton 118’ 4”

3. Tyler Simmons, Ennis 114’ 9”

Girls 6-7

1. Maddie Carter, Thompson Falls, 63’ 5”

2. Ashlynn Meyer, St. Ignatius, 44’ 8”

3. Angie Adams, Ronan, 39’ 0”

Boys 8-9

1. Tyce O’Connell, Hamilton, 210’ 11”

2.Cael Mikalatos, Anaconda, 198’ 9”

3. Lane Voermans, Kalispell, 188’ 9”

Girls 8-9

1. Kadynce Couture, Ronan, 131’ 3”

2. Kamber Leary, Butte, 114’ 11”

3. Izabel Evans, St. Ignatius, 100’ 9”

Boys 10-11

1. Kody Carter, T. Falls, 265’ 5”

2. Bryce Umphrey, St. Ignatius, 228’ 3”

3. Tyson Bauder, Hamilton, 226’ 9”

Girls 10-11

1. Mya Stenson, Butte, 216’ 10”

2. Layne Kearns, Hamilton, 190’ 9”

3. Chloe Davis, Ronan, 178’ 2”

Boys 12-13

1. Nate Hill, Townsend, 302’ 4”

2. Braedon Sawyer, Anaconda, 263’ 7”

3. Cade Hanson, Sunburst, 249’ 2”

Girls 12-13

1. Elizabeth Bluemel, Ronan, 208’ 6”

2. Addison Arlint, St. Ignatius, 186’ 1”

3. Tatum McNamara, MT. City, 184’ 7”

Boys 14-15

1. Brock Cantrell-Field, St. Regis, 366’  1”

2. Kuba Detwiler, Ronan, 335’  5”

3. Darius Redstar, St. Ignatius, 270’  4”

Girls 14-15

1. Calla Haldorson, Hamilton, 326’ 6”

2. Natalie Goodman, Missoula, 268’ 5”

3. Ciara Miller, Fortine, 231’ 6”