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Local girl punts, passes, and kicks her way to victory in Oakland
punt pass pic
Mya Sanchez holds her four Punt, Pass and Kick trophies. - photo by Photo Contributed

Mya Sanchez made history this past weekend after winning her fourth straight Punt, Pass and Kick event for her age group at the Oakland Coliseum.

Sanchez, who just recently turned 10, competed in the 10 to 11-year-old age group this year and took her group by storm, going up against girls who were nearing the 12-year-old mark.

This did not phase the young athlete who, with the help and support of her family, was able to keep calm under pressure.

“It is amazing that I won four years in a row but I think that all the effort and practice has paid off. It was an awesome experience to be in front of all those NFL fans,” Sanchez said. “It was definitely tough considering most of the girls were older than me.”

In this event each participant is allowed one punt, one pass and one place kick as part of his or her competition.

Scores are based on both distance and accuracy. A participant's final score is his or her cumulative total for the three individual events.

It all started earlier in the fall when Sanchez competed at Medeiros Elementary School with over 225 kids ages 6 to 12.

Sanchez ended up winning with a score of 225.

Then in Sections, where there were five different regions represented, Sanchez topped out by scoring 220.

 “I think this year was a little different from the last couple years because I was competing against my good friend Mila Rawlins,” Sanchez said.

Finally in Oakland this past Sunday, Sanchez finished the day with a score of 186 feet, 10 inches, which was good enough to place ninth nationally.

Sanchez knew that none of this would have been possible without the support of her school, family and a few special friends.

“I would like to thank my brother [Avery] for training with me and my parents for taking me to all of the competitions,” Sanchez said. “Also, I have to thank my former teacher Mrs. Hendrix for setting up this event, without her I wouldn't have had this opportunity. Also Mr. Rick Kaepernick and Colin for the words of encouragement and getting us extra tickets to the game so my family could attend.”