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MARQUETTE -- U.P. Football All-Star players found out who is the best in a number of skills Wednesday afternoon at the Superior Dome.

Garde Kangas of Manistique won three sprints at the U.P. finals in track; Wednesday he recorded a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.
         
Menominees Jordan Maccoux showed off the arm in the passing competition, tossing the pigskin a winning distance of 57 yards for his East Team, not bad for a single wing back and defensive lineman.

In the bench press it was Gladstone's Josh Hadel putting up 225 pounds 21 times for the East.

The challenge was meant to be an enjoyable event.  Most players say, "mission accomplished".

"We're all having fun, get a chance to relax, get away from the coaches for a little bit, but we're all getting excited for the game.  Yeah it's a fun week to be here, but we're all here for one reason and that's to win, " said Hadel.

"These players, all year long, are competing against each other and they're seeing what each other's doing all year and now this is a chance for all the schools to come together to see who really is the fastest, who's the strongest, for their skills.  They all brag about how great they are on their teams and now they can put it to the test," added Xcel Sports Training CEO Todd Goldbeck.

The East and West squads still have two full days of practice left this week before the big game kicks off 3 p.m. eastern, Saturday at the Superior Dome.

Here are the overall results of the skills challenge;

*Fastest Man: CJ Paquin, Cedarville, 40 yard dash = 4.488 seconds (electronic timed)
*Fastest Man (Lineman): Josh Wilson, Cedarville, 4.887 seconds
*Strongest Man: Josh Hadel, Gladstone, Bench Press = 225 pounds, 21 repetitions
*Strongest Man (Non-Lineman): Dan Perrault, L’Anse, 16 repetitions
*Quarterback Challenge: Jordan Maccoux, Menominee, Distance Thrown = 57 yards
*Receiver Challenge: Derek Horde, Sault Ste Marie, 52 catches/56 thrown
*Receiver Challenge (Lineman): Zack Anderla, Menominee, 32 catches/32 thrown
*Punting: Ryan Kleisner, Kingsford, 55 yards
*Kicking: Dan Menze, Marquette, 51 yards