“Cal is a great competitor and comes from a awesomely athletic family. A hardworking GS product for the past two years he continues to carry on the family tradition of outstanding athletics.  He is making sure he is not outdone by the rest of his family.” – Gamespeed

 

Cal Bard likes catching the ball on offense and making tackles on defense.

“He enjoys football,” Troy Bard said of his son, who was a wide receiver, cornerback/safety and captain for a Napa Saints junior midget team that played in the Diablo Valley Youth Football Conference this year. “He likes to be around the ball.”

Bard brings something else to the game. He can flat out throw the ball.

Based on his results in the NFL’s 51st annual Punt, Pass & Kick program, and the way that he kept advancing in the different stages of the competition, Bard may want to consider trying out for quarterback when he starts high school next year.

“I had really good performances,” said Bard, who is in the eighth grade at Redwood Middle School. “Napa was my best one.”

Each participant in the Punt, Pass & Kick program — which is open to all boys and girls ages 6-15 — is allowed one punt, one pass and one placekick as part of his or her competition. Scores are based on both distance and accuracy, and are recorded on exact feet and inches. A participant’s final score is his or her cumulative total for the three individual events. Scores are determined from where a participant’s punt/pass/kick first makes contact with the ground.

Bard advanced from a local competition, put on by the City of Napa Parks and Recreation Department. From there, he moved through a sectional competition and earlier this month took first place at a team championship in the boys 12-13 age division in Daly City.

Another Napa youth, Aiden McDonald, came in second place in the boys 8-9 age group at the team championship.

“He just loves sports,” said JR McDonald, Aiden’s father. “He’s got a great arm. He loves to practice and is very competitive when it comes to sports.”

By getting to the team championship competition, both Bard, 13, and McDonald, 9, joined other Punt, Pass and Kick entrants and qualifiers at the Dec. 4 St. Louis Rams-San Francisco 49ers regular-season game at Candlestick Park. Bard and McDonald got to see the game and also take part in a passing exhibition at halftime on the field.

Super Bowl winner Guy McIntyre, a former guard, was present as the 49ers’ goodwill ambassador, where he signed autographs and took photos with the contestants. McIntyre played in three Super Bowls and five Pro Bowls as a member of the 49ers. The participants received prizes, including footballs and kicking tees.

“It was crazy, with all the fans watching you,” said Cal Bard, a three-sport athlete, who plays for the Napa Valley Baseball Club and for an AAU club basketball team in Marin County. “I feel pretty great about it, just the feeling of going on to the Niners field, hoping to be there when you’re older.”

As a first-place finisher, Bard is now eligible for the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick National Finals, which will be held in January at a divisional playoff game. Organizers of PPK select youths from around the country based on prior competitions.

“That’s a pretty neat feeling seeing your kid throwing the ball out there at halftime of a pro football game,” said Troy Bard, a Vintage High School graduate, who played football for the Crushers, Solano Community College, Santa Rosa Junior College and Prairie-View A & M University in Texas.

“They announced his name over the loud speaker. You get to watch him throw the ball — not a prouder moment.”

There were four participants in each age group at the team championship. Participants were determined by the top four scores from the qualifying sectional event.

At the local level, McDonald had a total of 148-4 in the boys 8-9 age group. Bard’s total was 269-11 in the boys 12-13 age division.

Cal Bard is from an athletic family. His mom, Shelley Bard, was a standout pitcher on Vintage High and Napa Valley College softball teams.

His oldest sister, Presley, was an NCAA All-American swimmer at USC. In March, she earned All-America honors for the Trojans in the 100-yard back, 200-yard back, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay at the 2011 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Texas’ Jamail Swim Center in Austin. USC finished third overall at the meet.

His other sister, Mackenzey, was the Pitcher of the Year on the 2008 All-Napa County softball team for Napa High. She was Second-Team Overall as a multi-purpose player on the All-State team by CalHiSports.com and was First-Team on The Sacramento Bee’s All-Metro team. Bard also played softball for Fresno City College.

“They all have that competitive blood in them,” Troy Bard said.

Cal Bard said football is his favorite sport, but he puts just as much time into basketball and baseball. He played on the Napa National All-Stars, a team of 11- and 12-year-olds, who won District 53, Section 1 and Northern California Division Two Little League baseball titles while also advancing to the West Regional in San Bernardino in 2010. The All-Star team finished its postseason with a 14-2 record. Napa National took an undefeated record and represented Northern California at the West Regional, the final qualifier for the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. It’s the furthest that a Little League team from Napa has gone.

“Basketball, football, baseball … it doesn’t matter,” said Troy Bard. “He wants to just throw it around, catch it. He’s relentless — ‘Come on dad, we’ve got to play catch.’ I finally have to say, ‘I’m sore. I’ve got to go ice my arm. It’s time to go in.’ ”

McDonald attends Browns Valley Elementary School and is in the third grade. McDonald plays Little League Baseball in town and played in the city of Napa Parks and Recreation Department flag football program.

In the PPK, boys and girls compete separately and there is no charge to participate in the program. All participants must begin competition at the school level or officially sanctioned local community competition.

“I’ve had a really good time,” said Cal Bard. “I hope that I get the chance to do it next year again.”

Cal is a great competitor and comes from a awesomely athletic family. A hardworking GS product for the past two years he continues to carry on the family tradition of outstanding athletics.  He is making sure he is not outdone by the rest of his family.