Athlete of the Week: Nebraska fifth grader drills 48-yard field goal

'I just went for it,' 11-year-old says

WAVERLY, Neb. (KLKN) — A local fifth grader has the leg of a professional.

Waverly’s Nio Zuniga attempted, and made, a 48-yard field goal in a game earlier this month.

It wasn’t just the 11-year-old’s first time making a kick from that distance; it was the first time he even attempted one.

Nio has been playing football for a couple years now and credits his strong leg from playing soccer at a young age.

“I had no clue I was going to be able to make that, but I just went for it,” Zuniga said. “I guess I made it.”

His father wasn’t even aware of how far the kick was, but he knew it was a big deal based on the crowd’s reaction.

“I wasn’t even paying attention to be honest to you,” said Jorge Zuniga, Nio’s father. “I didn’t even count the yards. I had absolutely no idea. I knew it was big because I saw the coach was more excited than the players.”

To put this 48-yard field goal into perspective, there have been 24 field goals missed from 48 yards or less in the NFL this year.

Six of those field goals were missed in week 6, the latest week of the season.

But on that October Saturday, Nio and his coach said it was a bit windy that afternoon, so they decided to give it a shot.

‘We knew on the right day, he could pull it off,” said Ricky Keim, Eagle Elementary’s football head coach.

Nio enjoys fishing, playing soccer, football and basketball.

While we were catching up this past week, he even nailed a 45-yard field goal.

It’s safe to say the 11-year-old could have a bright future in store.