Plum's McAfee advances in Punt, Pass and Kick
PLUM: All of a sudden, Pat McAfee is a Miami Dolphins fan. And who can blame himâ¢
After all, Pat wrote his own ticket to an AFC playoff game by winning a regional NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition last Sunday.
He would rather spend Jan. 11 or 12 in relatively balmy Miami, as opposed to, say, Buffalo.
"Hey, go, Steelers, go, but if Miami wants to win, too, that's nice," Pat, 15, of Plum, said with a laugh.
The national Punt, Pass and Kick championships will be held at an undetermined second-round playoff game on Saturday, Jan. 11, or Sunday, Jan. 12.
And to think, Pat almost passed on the football skills competition before it even started.
The first round was held in Cheswick a couple months ago. The night before, Pat's father, Tim, told him about the competition, but he wasn't playing close attention. The next morning, Pat tried to sleep in, but his father dragged him out of bed.
"He kind of forced me to go," Pat said.
And so began Pat's run to an all-expenses-paid trip to the NFL playoffs.
Pat is allowed to bring three guests. He picked dear old dad, who he referred to as his "old man," and will add either his mother, Sally, or older brother, Jason, to the list.
Pat won the 14- and 15-year-old boys division of the competition, which was held at the Steelers practice field in Pittsburgh.
He punted for 118 feet, 4 inches, he passed for 152 feet, 8 inches, and he kicked for 189 feet, 4 inches. Keep in mind that three feet equal a yard.
Pat was tied with one of his four opponents entering the final leg of the competition — kicking. Pat responded by kicking the ball more than 63 yards.
Pat, a sophomore at Plum High School, is considering going out for the varsity football team next year as a kicker. He plans to attend at least one summer kicking camp.
That's welcome news for Plum football head coach Bill Rometo, who has Pat in his gym class.
"We've been watching him kick for the last two years," Rometo said. "He's an outstanding athlete. We're hoping he'll do our kicking for the next two years. I think he's a natural who can play any sport. He's very fluid."
Pat's first love is soccer. He has been playing that sport since he was 3 years old. This fall, he helped Plum reach the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals and led the AAA ranks with 26 goals.
Pat is also one of 36 finalists to make the Region I ODP 1987 birth year soccer team. Region I covers most of the northeastern corner of the United States. Eighteen players will be selected, and the squad will play games in Europe and Costa Rica next spring.
Pat is hoping to earn a Division I scholarship in soccer. His favorite schools are Penn State and Virginia.
For now, Pat would settle for a warm clime to go with his NFL football.
"Yeah, that Ricky Williams sounds familiar," Pat said, referring to the Dolphins star running back.
