COOPERSVILLE, Mich — A three-sport athlete from Coopersville Public Schools is currently competing for a spot in the semifinal round for Youth Athlete of the Year.
Kamora Manhart, a fifth-grade girl, plays football and wrestles against boys. She was her school's first female to win a state title in wrestling, wears pink cleats as a block-shedding, quarterback-rushing defensive end and boasts of a gray belt in jiu-jitsu.
"I like to have fun and play with my friends," Manhart said. "I would say it feels good knowing a lot of people voted for me, a lot of people picked me."
Youth Athlete of the Year is a national competition put on by Colossal — a for-profit company that acts as a professional fundraiser — in partnership with Sports Illustrated and 3Brand, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson's company.
The winner will receive $25,000 and a spot in a 3Brand ad in Sports Illustrated.
"I have really good sportsmanship and I accomplish a lot, being a girl," said Manhart, giving reason as to why she should win the award.
On Wednesday, FOX 17 interviewed the fifth-grader after her football practice at Coopersville Middle School.
"I'm best at getting through all the people and sacking the quarterback," she said.
In addition to winning the 2025 MYWAY Girls State Championship in wrestling — the first female from her school to earn a state title in the sport — Manhart has faced off against boys on the mat and also girls in heaver weight classes than her own.
"I love wrestling. I like to win," she said. "A lot of boys get embarrassed because they got beat by a girl."
"I think that shows a kid who isn't scared of adversity, isn't scared of challenges," said Eric Lillibridge, Manhart's football coach. "She knows what she wants to do, what she wants to accomplish. She competes. She's coachable. She's humble and she's a great teammate."
"I think with Kamora, she's done this with wrestling and football. She's having success in all of it," he said. "I think for any athlete, male or female, if you want to compete and try something at the youth level, and you want to give it a go, try it."
To vote Kamora Manhart for Athlete of the Year, click here. Voting for Semi-Finalists ends Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. PDT.
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