South Park Girl Makes It To NFL's Punt, Pass & Kick Championships
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Molly Saylor of South Park competed Saturday in the NFL's Punt, Pass and Kick championships in Seattle.
Years of practice with her father paid off, as she took the field against three other girls in the 14-15 age bracket.
She says her favorite skill is punting.
"If I can hit it right and get a good spiral, and get it on a line, that's the farthest one. The most accurate and consistent is probably my throw. That's because it's the most controlled thing I can do."
The ninth grader plays soccer and basketball at South Park High School. But in Seattle the stakes were much higher.
"After the punt, I was like, wow, that was pretty good," she recalls. "And after the pass, pretty happy with that too."
And the kick was good enough to win the national championship.
Molly has won the locals and the regionals five times in a row. This was her first trip to the nationals, and she made the best of it.
Her friends at home cheered when winners were announced during the playoff game.
"They videotaped it, and their reaction to seeing me on TV, it was fantastic."
But Seattle fans still haven't forgotten that Super Bowl loss to the Steelers.
"As she threw her demonstration pass and then shook hands with a former Seahawk quarterback, they kept booing," says her dad, Bill Saylor. "And she pointed to the emblem on her hat, and it just got louder."
"I remembered pointing at my hat and like doing some goofy move, but I can't remember the rush of being out there. And it's just all so quick."
"The parents of the other kids came over, and they were amazed at how they booed the Steelers."
If you can't beat 'em, boo 'em. But Molly knows that beating 'em is better.
On Wednesday, Molly joined the KDKA Morning News to talk about her experience winning the NFL's Punt, Pass and Kick competition.
She said that the Terrible Towel she brought with her was going to be taken away, but she, "hid mine in my pocket and when we were on TV I pulled the (towel) out."
She added that teachers she doesn't even know come up to her in school now.
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