His first words were “Pittsburgh Steelers” and “Washington Redskins,” he says.
Now, thanks to some luck and a lot of talent, the 13-year-old Middle School student will cover this weekend’s NFL Draft in New York City as a “Kid Reporter” for Sports Illustrated Kids. Zach’s path to this chance of a lifetime began two years ago at a Baltimore Orioles game, when he entered the 2007 Baltimore Orioles Junior Broadcaster competition at the nearby ESPN Zone. At ESPN Zone, 50 of 400 young contestants were randomly chosen to “call plays” shown on a big-screen television. Zach won the contest, narrating plays such as Cal Ripken’s 500th home run. Zach attributes his knack for calling play-by-play action to playing the popular “Madden” NFL video game series, which he received for his birthday several years ago. “I would just repeat the phrases,” said Zach, whose family moved to Ijamsville from Pittsburgh eight years ago. Eventually, Zach would turn off the sound of the video game and narrate the plays himself.
After winning the Junior Broadcaster contest, Zach, who enjoys playing basketball, golf and baseball, saw an ad in SI Kids for a youth sportscasting camp in Baltimore.