Tyra Buss, 13, daughter of Tim and Kelly Buss, and Ashley Slunder, 11, daughter of Karl and Michelle Slunder, placed First in the Illinois Sectional of the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition held Oct. 24 in Waterloo.

The pair will advance to the State Final Team Competition if their scores are in the top four of six Sectional sites in the St. Louis area. They will be notified by the end of October if they advance.

Buss placed First in the Girls 12-13 Division with a score of 299-feet-2. Slunder won the Girls 10-11 Division with a score of 209-feet-1. If they advance they will compete before the St. Louis Rams-Seattle Seahawks game on Nov. 29. All participants will then perform an exhibition throw at halftime of the game.

If Buss advances it will be the sixth straight year for her to advance to the Rams Team Competition, where she has placed First twice and Second twice. She also holds the record for the longest pass in three different age divisions.

Other Mt. Carmel participants included Wade Ruth in the Boys 8-9 Division, Anastasia Windle in the Girls 8-9 Division and Andrew Wise in the Boys 10-11 Division.