WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS (WVDN) – Winners of the 13th annual Punt, Pass and Kick championships were crowned recently at White Sulphur Springs Elementary School (WSSES) during the first nine weeks awards.
One hundred and thirty-five students in grades three through five competed during PE classes for school championships in boys’ and girls’ grade and overall categories.
Students were allowed three tries each in punting, passing and kicking a football for distance and accuracy, with the highest total of all three winning the Grand Champion prize. Winners of the individual events were the longest and most accurate in each grade and sex category.
“The two-week contest followed a teaching unit on football”, said WSSES PE teacher Tracy Asbury. “As you would expect, younger children do not know much about the game of football, but what amazed me most were the number of students that didn’t even know which end of the ball to hold onto when throwing a football”, he said.
This was the school’s 13th year for the contest, and there were seven new school records set.
The PE classes are now involved in 7-on-7 flag football games where each student is assigned a pass pattern to run.
“Playing the games at the end of the unit really helped me evaluate how well the students grasped the instruction”, Asbury said. “I believe that most students are stigmatized by the perceived violence of football. Once we broke the game down into small chunks of information for them, they understood the finer points of football, not just the collisions”. Asbury concluded by saying “We are having some very competitive games in class. They are fun to watch.”
Notable performances were third grade Girl Addie Miller winning four events and setting three school records including the pass at 56 feet, topping the previous record from 2011. Henderson Bostic won three events in boys fourth grade, Kayleigh Golden set a new mark for fourth grade girls, punting 64 feet, 2 inches and 173 total points, and Karsen Counts kicked 76 feet to break an 11-year-old third grade record.
All students gave their very best effort and that is what the challenges at WSSES are all about. Whether you fall short or climb high, your effort tells the truth.
WSSES would like to dedicate this year’s Punt Pass and Kick contest to Ronald Edward Asbury, a wonderful father and youth sports coach that led many youths down the right path of life, and instilling a passion for sports and personal discipline, coaching for 57 years and parenting for 63 years.
2022 WSSE Punt Pass & Kick – Boys
Third Grade
Grand Champion: Karsen Counts TOTAL- 143’
Punt Champion: Aiden Hambrick 57’
Pass Champion: Henley Anderson 52’
Kick Champion: Karsen Counts 76’ ***
***New School Record***
Fourth Grade
Grand Champion: Henderson Bostic TOTAL- 222’
Punt Champion: Henderson Bostic 71’
Pass Champion: Henderson Bostic 79’ ***
Kick Champion: Ryker Adwell 72’
***New School Record***
Fifth Grade
Grand Champion: Colton Anderson TOTAL – 204’9”
Punt Champion: Emil Applegate 59
Pass Champion: Caleb Clendennin 69’
Kick Champion: Colton Anderson 91’3”
2022 WSSE Punt Pass & Kick – Girls
Third Grade
Grand Champion: Addie Miller TOTAL- 165’ ***
Punt Champion: Addie Miller 45’
Pass Champion: Addie Miller 56’ ***
Kick Champion: Addie Miller 64’ ***
*** New School Record***
Fourth Grade
Grand Champion: Kayleigh Golden TOTAL- 173’ ***
Punt Champion: Kayleigh Golden 64’2” ***
Pass Champion: Kayleigh Golden 59’
Kick Champion: Kayleigh Golden 50’
***New School Record***
Fifth Grade
Grand Champion: Korynn Huffman TOTAL- 179’
Punt Champion: Caitlynn McMillion 54’
Pass Champion: Korynn Huffman 77’4”
Kick Champion: Caitlynn McMillion 61’
WSSES Punt, Pass & Kick All Time Records
BOYS 2009-2022
Grade Name Distance School Year
TOTAL 5 Braylen Godfrey 257’7” 2019
4 Travis Burdette 255’11” 2012
3 Isaiah Mattox 187’4” 2014
PUNT 5TH Tyler Young 80’3” 2012
4th Ivan Hoke 80’4” 2017
3rd Henderson Bostic 76’4” 2021
PASS 5 Braylen Godfrey 92’3” 2019
4 Henderson Bostic 79’ 2022**
3 Kaden Munsey 74’11” 2014
KICK 5 Henry Martinez 92’8” 2017
4 Cody Hall 81’8” 2011
3 Karsen Counts 76’ 2022**
WSSES Punt, Pass & Kick All Time Records
GIRLS 2010-2022
Girls Grade Name Distance School Year
TOTAL 5 Jasmine Lewis 198’7” 2017
4 Kayleigh Golden 173’ 2022**
3 Addie Miller 165’ 2022**
PUNT 5TH Jasmine Lewis 80’3” 2017
4 Kayleigh Golden 64’2” 2022
3 Rylan Vaughan 55’9” 2014
PASS 5 Alizabeth Wooding 81’ 2017
4 Alizabeth Wooding 75’6” 2016
3 Addie Miller 56’ 2022**
KICK 5 Marley White 80’ 2019
4 Caitlynn McMillion 73’ 2021
3 Addie Miller 56’ 2022**
