Millward looks to Nationals

Evans Middle School seventh grader Kevin Millward turned some heads last weekend in Atlanta.

On Sunday he was at the Georgia Dome as a finalist in the statewide Punt, Pass and Kick competition, and the 5'10, 195 lb. Millward put on quite a show while winning the 12-13 age division.

The PPK event is an annual staple of the NFL and boasts such past winners as Dan Marino and John Elway, who each earned national PPK titles. Now, Millward hasn't gone that far just yet, but the football, basketball and baseball standout from Evans Middle could be on his way.

Millward breezed through the local competition at Patriots Park, and then rolled through the regional finals in Statesboro. This year his score was one of the top five in the state, which gave him an invitation to the Georgia Dome and a shot at the state title.

Last year, as a 12-year-old, Millward was a regional winner, but his score didn't qualify him for the state finals.

Last weekend, Millward was the class of the competition. His overall score of 374 feet, 9 1/2 inches was not only tops in his age division - it beat all of the 14-15 year olds..

The PPK score is compiled by adding the distance total of a punt, a pass and a kick, minus the distance each lands from a center line. Consistency was one reason why Millward dominated at the Dome. His pass was 120 feet, 3 inches, his punt went 127 feet, 2 1/2 inches, and his kick measured 127 feet, 4 inches.

Those are impressive numbers for a 13-year-old.

Now Millward must play the waiting game. All 32 NFL teams will have PPK competitions throughout the regular season. Of the 32 winners, only the top four scores in each age division will vie for the national championship.

Millwad may not know until after Christmas if he is going to get a shot at the nationals, but his prospects appear pretty good when you consider last year's national champion in the 12-13 division posted a total of 377 feet - less than a yard more than Millward recorded last weekend in Atlanta.

While waiting to see where his score stacks up, Millward will be helping his Evans Middle School basketball team.

In his spare time, he'll probably be sharpening his skills with the football, getting ready for the PPK finals, which will be at an AFC playoff game.

Millward might just be there, and he might just win it all.