FARMINGTON -- Now that he has made the USA Football team, the next football option for Farmington incoming seventh-grader Nykolaus Comer is to try out for the International team.
The International Federation of American Football governs the competition which pits American athletes against teams from other nations and can take athletes to places they never dreamed of traveling to which has made an impression on Nykolaus.
"Last year the U-19 team went to Kuwait and won the gold in the International team," Nykolaus said.
According to the IFAF website, in 2015, up to 100 players born in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998 were selected for the World Development Team, which is designed to offer the best under-nineteen players from around the world a camp in which they will develop their technique, fundamentals and football skills. Nykolaus' mother, Amanda Comer, keeps track of such things and is hoping he will get an invitation to play on America's International competitive squad.
"They choose the top players. Last year they chose 53 players in his age group and they played against Canada in February at Dallas."
Amanda Comer has noticed changes in the way teams are formed. She said USA Football was organizing teams by grade but may have switched because the IFAF goes by year of birth.
"Last year the sixth, seventh and eighth graders were all one team," Amanda Comer said. "They separate by year of birth. This year's group everybody was born between 2000-2002. They didn't want them playing against boys born in 98-99. They didn't want them being less [competitive], disadvantaged being young guys."
Nykolaus has spent six of his 12 years developing his football skills among various Farmington youth programs. Nykolaus started out with Kiwanis football at 6-years-old before going on into the Cardinal Peewee program. This fall he will be entering seventh grade at Randall G. Lynch Middle School as a 5-feet-6, 230 pound offensive lineman where the football philosophy becomes team-oriented.
"He does it, he loves it," said his mother, Amanda Comer. "He goes through cycles like any kid does when he wants a break but he always goes back to wanting to play."
"Nykolaus has had an exceptional experience with the Farmington Peewee program," Amanda Comer said. "Kerry Pitts runs the program. It's just so organized. I think him playing in a program that was so structured definitely helped him develop a bond with football."
This is vital for a young, impressionable mind.
"He's been lucky, he's had good coaches all the way through cause if you have a coach that is demeaning or is bad they're going to kill the joy of football for you," Amanda Comer said.
Amanda Comer was one of the reasons she brought Nykolaus to Farmington is because she believes Farmington always has a good football program and wants her son to enjoy the experience.
Sports on 07/22/2015