Before the Cowboys took the field, the fourth-grader at San Angelo's San Jacinto Elementary not only won the 8/9-year-old girls division of the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick Competition but did so with a combined 187 feet in the three events, which was roughly 40 feet better than she'd ever done before.

"It wasn't hard," Samantha said, who had advanced to Sunday's event by winning local and sectional competitions. "I wasn't nervous."

Sunday's winning distance not only won Samantha a plaque but also places her second nationally in her age division.

Each NFL team hosts a punt, pass and kick championship. The top four qualifiers in each division from across the country will advance to a national championship to be held at a NFL playoff game next month.

As of Monday only three other NFL teams hadn't held their competitions, meaning Samantha is all but assured of advancing.

"We had a faculty meeting Monday, and I told everyone," said Lisa Olivas-Chaumont, Samantha's P.E. coach at San Jacinto. "They were blown away."

Samantha is the daughter of Antonio and Betty Mendoza. All three received tickets to Sunday's Cowboys game, and the proud parents got to watch Samantha's performance from the stands.

"We're really excited for her," Betty Mendoza said.