2013 East All Stars – #34
Evin Papuga
Running Back
6’ 210 lbs
High School: Holly, A
High School Coach: Ryan Culloty
College: Michigan Tech
Evin is the son of Kevin and Barbara Papuga. He has two older brothers, Kevin (23) and Devin (19); he also has an older sister, Samantha (20). He said, “I am beyond grateful for the support I receive from my parents and siblings and also my large, loving, extended family, and of course all of my close friends.”
Evin started playing football when he was seven years old in third grade for the Bronchos, the Holly Youth Football team. His head coaches, Guy Cleaver and Brad Chanter, “showed me the beauty of the game and taught me a necessary life-long lesson, that with hard work, toughness, and determination anything is possible.” Evin excelled on offense as a running back and on defense as a safety. He played these positions throughout middle school and his freshman season. As a sophomore, Evin was brought up to the varsity team where he started at safety. Evin’s junior year he was moved to middle linebacker where he was named the team’s Defensive Skill Player-of-the-Year and helped lead the HHS Bronchos to their first ever Flint Metro League title. During Evin’s senior year, he was named a captain of the team, Defensive MVP, and Offensive Skill Player-of-the-Year. He was a two-way starter at running back as well as middle line backer. He finished the 2012 season with 807 yards on only 80 attempts and 14 touchdowns.
Evin also ran track, wrestled, played basketball, was a power lifter and was a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Evin said, “I thank my parents first for always being there for me and showing their never ending love and support in everything I do.” He thanked his family, “for being so encouraging and enthusiastic about all of my achievements, you will all never know how much it means to me.” He thanked, “all the coaches for their support and for pushing me to be my best so this could be possible, also for putting in an incredible amount of effort into making it an unforgettable experience for us all.” He thanked “all of the teammates along the way, especially, Johnny Williams, my best friend, who has always been on my team from our first year in youth to our next year up at Michigan Tech University.” He added, “Thank you to all my friends who were at every game showing your support. My AD, Deb VanKuiken, for making the Holly football experience so remarkable and for everything you have done for the football team, the community, and me. Thank you for all who supported me and sponsored me. Lastly, my largest thank you goes out to God for all the people listed above, for all his blessings of health and strength to play this sport and his never ending grace and protection.”
Awards
Honorabe Mention Flint Metro League
Defense, 2010
1st Team All Conference Linebacker, 2011
Scholar Athlete Award, Flint Metro League, 2010
Athlete Of The Week, The State Bank, 2011 & 2012
1st Team All Conference Offense, 2012
1st Team All Conference Defense, 2012