Plenty of children get involved in athletics early, only to throw in the towel later in life in favor of other aspirations.
They join a sport to practice teamwork or stay fit, but don’t see it as a potential career.
But there are a few players who stand out so much that they are able to play at a higher level. And with the Super Bowl on everyone’s minds, it’s appropriate to note that several Pickerington Youth Athletic Association athletes have gone on to play football at college, and even professional, levels.
For many of those players, their involvement with PYAA was their introduction to football, their first exposure to a sport that would change the course of their lives.
PYAA has been in operation for more than 20 years.
Children can start playing football as young as 5 years old. Throughout their time with PYAA, they get a chance to learn a variety of positions out on the field, turning them into well-rounded players for middle and high school, says Barry Sutherland, PYAA vice president of football.
“They get different experiences,” Sutherland says. “Each year, we’ll have them in a draft, and players will be drafted to different teams to get different experiences with different coaching philosophies.”
Sutherland says the association retains about two-thirds of the children who play from year to year, so most of the children will play football with PYAA until they can join middle school teams.
“(The players) have taught me how to be a very good sport,” Sutherland says. “They’ve taught me different ways to handle players with different personalities, and how to have fun.”
Jamie Wood
Jamie Wood never thought he’d go on to play football at the college level.
But when he found out he had received a full ride football scholarship to The Ohio State University, he was beyond thrilled.
“I felt like a dream had come true,” Wood says. “Growing up in Columbus and always growing up a Buckeye fan, it was a great opportunity.”
Wood, 23, is now a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he played as a defensive back for four years and sported the No. 21 jersey.
In 2002, he was just a sixth-grader taking the field for the first time. But he realized early on that he excelled in a way few other players did.
“I moved into the district that year and was kind of a hidden gem,” Wood says. “People weren’t expecting me, and didn’t know who I was and what I was capable of. I didn’t know myself.”
Wood isn’t sure where he would be without that year he spent with PYAA.
“If I (hadn’t) played that year, who knows?” he says. “That year sparked something in me, and brought about a passion. Through that experience, I’ve continued to … develop as an athlete. If I hadn’t taken that step forward, I might not have gone down that path.”
Wood spent this past football season coaching at Pickerington High School Central, from which he graduated in 2009. Once in the cleats of his mentees, Wood says he tries to help his players find a deeper connection with football.
“We focus a lot on the outcomes, like the wins and the losses. My big thing is, I like to tell the kids that it’s more than the game,” Wood says. “It’s easy to lose track of the character traits you develop through sports. … My passion is developing relationships with the kids and setting them up to learn life through the game.”
Malcolm Pannell
Playing college football was always Malcolm Pannell’s dream.
When the time came to select a school, Pannell had a couple of choices to make. He eventually chose Kent State University, where he played corner back for the Golden Flashes throughout his four years at the school.
“I was beyond excited,” Pannell, 23, says. “It was just a blessing to go to school for free, and play the game that you love.”
Pannell just finished his last season and will graduate in the spring.
He started playing football with PYAA when he was just 6 years old.
“I was new to the game, but I was always fast,” Pannell says.
To keep him motivated, Pannell’s family tempted him with incentives.
“My uncle, my first year, would say, ‘Every touchdown you score, I’ll give you $5,’” Pannell says. “So I was just trying to score as many touchdowns as possible.”
He scored 32 touchdowns that year.
“(PYAA) had a big impact,” he says. “It kept me motivated to play. … If it weren’t for PYAA, who knows where I’d be.”
Pannell wants to coach college football, he says, so he will graduate with a minor in athletic coaching.
He already has a motto selected for his future team: “By any means necessary.”
Pannell encourages children just starting out with PYAA to keep up their hard work. He and his peers are living proof of what can be accomplished, he says.
“Follow your dream,” he says. “If this is what you really want to do, you’ve got to put everything into it. It’s a long road.”
Zach and Justin Boren
Brothers Zach and Justin Boren are two former PYAA players who went on to play football professionally.
Justin even achieved every young football player’s dream: being a part of the Super Bowl. He was part of Super Bowl XLVII, playing guard for that year’s winner, the Baltimore Ravens.
Zach, a Pickerington High School Central graduate, signed with the San Diego Chargers on Feb. 3, 2014. Prior to that, he was a fullback and a linebacker for the Buckeyes from 2009-12. He also had a brief stint as a free agent for the Houston Texans.
Like his brother, Justin played for the Buckeyes. He signed with the Ravens in July 2011, was named to the practice squad of the Detroit Lions in November 2012 and, in January 2013, signed with the Denver Broncos. As of August 2013, he was released due to injury.
Their younger brother, Jacoby Boren, is a junior at OSU and an offensive lineman for the Buckeyes.
Hannah Bealer is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
