If St. Maria Goretti High School had a football team, the coaches wouldn’t have to look far to find a quarterback.
Despite that she’s only a freshman, Amanda Pack, 14, has plenty of experience playing the game.
On Saturday, she’ll make her third consecutive appearance in the NFL Gatorade Punt, Pass and Kick sectional competition. She advanced by winning the District 10 competition Sept. 17 at Capitolo Playground, Ninth and Federal streets. Since Pack, of the 2000 block of South Chadwick Street, was the only female competing in her age group, she automatically won the first-place ribbon.
The Goretti freshman said she didn’t mind competing against herself.
"When you go to the second competition, you are better prepared for the other girls," she said.
Pack scored 185 feet, 4 inches in the local competition, and put up her best numbers in the kick event with 65 feet, 7 inches. Combined with a 61-foot-8-inch punt and 57-foot-9-inch pass, the local athlete covered a lot of distance.
The South Philly competition was one of 10 such contests the Philadelphia Department of Recreation held throughout the city last month. Each competitor gets one punt, one pass and one placekick, with the final score a cumulative total of the three events.
Scores are based on distance and accuracy. A measuring tape is placed on the field of play to determine the distance, and the key is to keep the ball going in a straight direction. For instance, if Pack throws a pass for 50 yards but the ball lands 20 feet left of the measuring tape, her score would be 30. Extra bounces and rolls are not counted in the score. A participant who misses the ball completely gets a zero for the event.
On Saturday, competitors will vie for a chance to qualify for the Nov. 17 team championships, which will take place during halftime of the Eagles-Cardinals game.
Winning the sectional championship doesn’t necessarily qualify a competitor for the third round. The Philadelphia contestants compete against boys and girls in their age bracket from New Jersey and Delaware. Pack has to finish in the top five of her age bracket to be considered.
"I think I can make it because last year my punt was fourth out of five girls," the freshman said.
Pack, whose favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys, practices at Guerin Recreation Center, 16th and Jackson streets, where she works as an aide after school everyday. After the 6- to 12-year-olds finish their homework, Pack throws around the pigskin to give them some exercise. She plays quarterback and kicker with the kids as running backs and receivers.
But the after-school job entails a lot more than playing quarterback. The freshman starts at 3:30 every afternoon, spending a half-hour helping students with their homework. A half-hour later, the students can start showcasing their athletic skills either in the gym or outside.
"She is great with the kids," said Gurein rec leader II Sue Buck. "The kids seem to like her because she’ll get out there and play with them."
When Pack started volunteering her time three years ago, Buck noticed the middle-school student’s athletic abilities. The rec leader thought she would be perfect for the pass, punt and kick competition.
And indeed, Buck ended up discovering one of the best female football players in the city, at least as far as pass, punt and kick skills go. In her three years of competition, Pack has won the District 10 event three times and the sectional event once.
"Football is my favorite sport," the player said. "This is the only way to play football because they don’t have football teams for girls."
This year is Pack’s last chance to qualify for nationals, which will be held during the weekend of the NFL conference championship games in January. Advancing to the finals would be like the Eagles advancing to the Super Bowl, as competitors need to have one of the top four scores within their age bracket nationally to be considered.
"Every year I practice a little harder," said Pack.
Once the competition ends, Pack will have to look into other sports, as there are no girls’ youth football leagues in South Philadelphia. She does have some experience playing indoor soccer at Guerin, and is seriously considering going out for Goretti’s softball team in the spring. For now, football remains a priority.
Buck said she wouldn’t be surprised if Pack wins Saturday and qualifies for next month’s team championship.
"Sports aren’t that popular with the girls down here, and she is good," the recreation leader said.
