BOYNTON BEACH – As you may or may not know by now, Green Bay Packers punter Pat O’Donnell is from Palm Beach County.
The 2022 Palm Beach County Sports Commission Hall of Fame recipient makes it his mission to give back to the next generation of youth and high school specialists in more ways than one.
O’Donnell, who graduated from Palm Beach Central High School in 2009, went on to play college football as a punter for Cincinnati. A few years later, O’Donnell transferred to Miami to finish his collegiate career.
The Palm Beach County legend was selected in the sixth round of the NFL by the Chicago Bears in 2014. He spent eight seasons with his original NFL team before moving on to his current one in Green Bay.
O’Donnell is a shining example of how one can excel on the high school level and keep it going from there. He provided some nuggets on how the next generation can do the same.
With that said, the current crop of high school specialists made the most of their experience at the inaugural Varsity Sports Challenge, which was held at Somerset Academy Canyons.
Here are some comments from our high school standouts that participated in Sunday’s main event.
We will start with American Heritage (Delray Beach) 2023 punter Owen Flint.
“I think it was a great experience,” Flint said. “It’s really cool that Pat set that up for free for everyone and it was cool for all the other NFL guys like Greg and Sam to come out and help. There was a lot of talent and definitely a competitive atmosphere that made it a lot of fun. It’s not often that you’re going to get a lot of the talent from PBC (Palm Beach County), Broward, and Dade together to compete like that, and I think it helps everyone involved when it happens.”
After that was Spanish River 2023 kicker Anthony LoBello.
“Everybody was super helpful and positive from the pro guys, all the way down to the younger guys helping out on the day,” Lobello said. “Speaking to Pat, he’s a super nice guy and was really adamant about getting everyone involved in comps and to just enjoy the day and have fun, because that’s what’s it’s all about. The camp was run well and was also organized. It was a great experience and I loved getting a chance to compete.”
Kohl’s Kicking punting coach Matt Starr on the Pat O’Donnell Camp:
“I think the camp was an awesome experience,” Starr said. “They got to meet great NFL players and be coached by them. They also were able to hear their stories on their journey through high school/recruiting, all the way up their pro careers. The kids (athletes) did a great job competing against one another in hopes of receiving an invite to the Kohl’s Scholarship Camp in Tennessee next week. I really look forward to helping grow this annual camp.”
Tony Bugeja, the owner/founder of 4th Down Solutions and a coach with Kohl’s Kicking Camps, shared his take on how this past weekend turned out.
“From what I got from the kids, it was a great camp,” Bugeja said. “They learned a bunch and were able to compete in a fun atmosphere. What they took from the camp was to commit to the process of training and working on their craft. Hard work pays off. It was truly a joy to be able to share the passion with them.”
Here is a list of the high school specialists in attendance this past Sunday (July 10):
2023 CLASS
•Kicker Mauricio Alvarez (Lake Wales)
•Kicker Jay Brockhaus (Pine Ridge)
•Punter Christian de Villiers (Columbus)
•Punter Owen Flint (American Heritage-Delray Beach)
•Kicker/Punter Constantine Gandis (Christ Church Episcopal; Greenville, S.C.)
•Kicker/Punter Robert Hammond III (Cardinal Gibbons)
•Kicker/Punter Anthony Hinds (Cardinal Newman)
•Kicker Anthony Lobello (Spanish River)
•Kicker Daniel Militzok (Cooper City)
•Long Snapper Hudson Wharton (Suncoast)
2024 CLASS
•Kicker/Punter Andrew Abu-Akel (Chaminade-Madonna)
•Kicker/Punter Luke Granger (Boca Raton Christian)
•Kicker/Punter Owenn Holowecky (Seminole Ridge)
•Punter Jackson Kauppi (Jupiter)
•Kicker/Punter Mason Minch (Park Vista)
•Kicker Enrique Olmas (South Fort Myers)
•Kicker/Punter Elijah Thallemar (Wellington)
•Kicker/Punter Gunnar Trout (Merritt Island)
2025 CLASS
•Kicker Jake Beylo (Cardinal Newman)
•Kicker/Punter John Connolly (Martin County)
•Kicker/Punter Luca Guerra (Doral Academy Charter)
•Kicker/Punter Cooper Holman (Gulf Coast)
•Kicker/Punter Landon Mare (Cannon School; Concord, N.C.)
•Kicker/Punter Dean Roberts (Titusville)
•Kicker/Punter Nicholas Romero (St. Thomas Aquinas)
•Kicker/Punter Preston Warner (Park Vista)
•Kicker Brogan Woeber (Jupiter)
2026/2027 CLASSES
•Kicker/Punter Leoandro De Carvalho (Newsome) – 2026
•Kicker/Punter John Knight (Martin County) – 2027
PHOTO CREDITS: Gillian Constable/Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Somerset Academy Canyons Soccer
