A Papuan student has become one of the best student American football players in the United States. Sekton Wandikbo learned America’s favorite sport in just 16 months.
Born and raised in Papua, Sekton Wandikbo was never exposed to American football. Since childhood he has been more into soccer and basketball, which are popular among young Papuans. But the 18-year-old’s name skyrocketed thanks to American football, a sport he only took up after setting foot in the United States in 2016 to attend school.
Sekton plays for Foxcroft Academy in the Class D North Championship of the Little Ten Conference. Sekton and Foxcroft Academy lost only one game last season, in the state finals.
The 18-year-old Sekton was able to go to the United States because he received a scholarship to attend school until he finished college. This year, the student from Wamena, Papua, will soon graduate from Foxcroft Academy High School in Maine.
“I received a scholarship from BPSDM [Resource Development Agency] Papua, all costs were covered. It’s been almost three years [in America],” Sekton said.
Sekton arrived in the US at the end of 2016. While attending school in the US, Sekton did not expect to be trusted to strengthen the Foxcroft Academy American football team.
“My plan was to go to school here, but then I was introduced to this American football sport and fell in love. I didn’t know this sport before in Papua. When I first started learning this sport, the challenge was that I had to learn from scratch about how to play, the rules, and so on through YouTube,” said Sekton.
In the process of getting to know American football, Sekton as a minority was well received. His teammates, he says, did not underestimate his desire to learn more about the sport.
“They [teammates] helped me adapt,” Sekton said.
Every day, Sekton trains for three hours from Monday to Thursday in order to compete on Friday. The training menu varies, from running for almost two kilometers to defensive and attacking schemes.
After about two years of playing American football, Sekton was honored as the best linebacker after Foxcroft Academy won the Class D North championship in the Little Ten Conference. He was called the first native Asian player to make an impact in the competition.
