USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, today announced its final 2010 Junior National Team roster which will compete in USA Football's "Team USA vs. The World" game, presented by Riddell, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 30 at noon ET. The game matches USA Football's 2010 Junior National Team - 45 of the country's top high school seniors - against a World Select team composed of 45 of the best players aged 19 and under from outside the United States spanning four continents.
USA Football's roster consists entirely of high school seniors, 35 of whom have verbally committed to college football programs across nine athletic conferences. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Pac-10 are tied with seven Team USA verbal commitments apiece. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has the third-highest representation with six.
The Jan. 30 game will be televised live by NFL Network. Providing commentary will be RICH EISEN, DEION SANDERS, and SCOTT KENNEDY. STACEY DALES is the crew's sideline reporter.
Sanctioned by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the Paris-based federation composed of 57 countries that possess a national federation dedicated solely to American football, USA Football's "Team USA vs. The World" game, presented by Riddell, is an official NFL Pro Bowl Week event. The Jan. 30 contest will follow AFC and NFC All-Star practices at Lockhart Stadium. Fans will not be charged admission to attend either the NFL All-Star practices or USA Football's "Team USA vs. The World" game.
USA Football's Junior National Team is led by head coach CHRIS MERRITT of Miami Christopher Columbus High School. Merritt's national team staff is composed of nine high school head coaches from five states. JAN JENMERT of Sweden will lead the 45-man World team roster. Jenmert's 15-member coaching staff spans 10 countries.
Merritt, who owns a 79-22 (.782) record as head coach at Miami Columbus, was the 2009 USA Football Junior National Team's defensive backs coach that earned a gold medal in Canton, Ohio, this past July in the eight-nation IFAF Junior World Championship. The tournament was the first junior world championship in football history, drawing more than 40,000 fans to Canton's Fawcett Stadium during the course of four game days.
USA Football's "Team USA vs. The World" game, presented by Riddell, is supported by numerous USA Football corporate partners including Riddell, Shock Doctor, Reebok, GameWear Team Sports, Gatorade, and the Andrews Institute.
USA Football's 2010 Junior National Team:
|
Player |
High School |
Pos |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown |
Verbal Commitment & Head Coach |
|
Jake Alexander |
Jenks (Okla.) |
C |
6-2 |
270 |
Tulsa, Okla. |
Tulsa; Todd Graham |
|
Josh Allen |
Cedar Hill (Texas) |
C |
6-4 |
260 |
Cedar Hill, Texas |
Minnesota; Tim Brewster |
|
Demetre Baker |
Orange Park (Fla.) |
LB |
6-0 |
200 |
Orange Park, Fla. |
Georgia; Mark Richt |
|
Anthony Creecy |
Southern Durham (N.C.) |
WR |
6-0 |
196 |
Durham, N.C. |
North Carolina State; Tom O'Brien |
|
Corey Cooper |
Proviso East (Ill.) |
S |
6-2 |
203 |
Maywood, Ill. |
Illinois; Ron Zook |
|
Shawn Corker |
Ft. Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons |
WR |
6-1 |
190 |
Margate, Fla. |
Texas Tech; Tommy Tuberville |
|
Steele Divitto |
Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep |
LB |
6-2 |
214 |
Ridgefield, Conn. |
Boston College; Frank Spaziani |
|
Andrew Donnal |
Anthony Wayne (Whitehouse, OH) |
T |
6-7 |
285 |
Monclova, Ohio |
Iowa, Kirk Ferentz |
|
Quinton Dunbar |
Miami Booker T. Washington |
WR |
6-3 |
170 |
Miami, Fla. |
Florida; Urban Meyer |
|
Dan Foose |
Paramus (N.J.) Catholic |
G |
6-6 |
310 |
Saddle Brook, N.J. |
Undecided |
|
Sam Gagliano |
Waxahachie (Texas) |
WR |
5-8 |
165 |
Waxahachie, Texas |
Undecided |
|
Jakhari Gore |
Miami Columbus |
RB |
5-10 |
170 |
Miami, Fla. |
LSU; Les Miles |
|
Ethan Grant |
North Broward (Fla.) Prep |
RB |
5-10 |
175 |
Coconut Creek, Fla. |
TCU; Gary Patterson |
|
Tony Grimes |
Hollywood Hills (Fla.) |
CB |
5-11 |
165 |
Hollywood Hills, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Michael Hartvigson |
Bothell (Wash.) |
TE |
6-6 |
240 |
Bothell, Wash. |
Washington; Steve Sarkisian |
|
Tommy Heffernan |
Miami Columbus |
LB |
6-2 |
217 |
Miami, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Ben Hopfinger |
Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas |
PK |
6-1 |
160 |
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Josh Huff |
Nimitz (Irving, Texas) |
CB |
5-10 |
195 |
Humble, Texas |
TCU; Gary Patterson |
|
Mike Hull |
Canon-McMillan (Pa.) |
LB |
6-1 |
215 |
Canonsburg, Pa. |
Penn State; Joe Paterno |
|
Kody Innes |
Saguaro (Ariz.) |
T |
6-5 |
280 |
Scottsdale, Ariz. |
UCLA; Rick Neuheisel |
|
Bryant Jackson |
Sulphur Springs (Texas) |
S |
6-3 |
175 |
Sulphur Springs,Texas |
Texas; Mack Brown |
|
Jordan Johnson |
Carol City (Fla.) |
DT |
5-10 |
245 |
Miami Gardens, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Corey Lemonier |
Hialeah (Fla.) |
DE |
6-5 |
223 |
Miami, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Richard Leonard |
Miami Killian |
CB |
5-8 |
153 |
Miami, Fla. |
Florida International; Mario Cristobal |
|
Keiwone Malone |
Mitchell (Tenn.) |
WR |
6-1 |
165 |
Memphis, Tenn. |
Alabama; Nick Saban |
|
Tyrann Mathieu |
New Orleans St. Augustine |
CB |
5-10 |
175 |
New Orleans, La. |
LSU; Les Miles |
|
Zack McCray |
Brookville (Va.) |
DE |
6-5 |
236 |
Forest, Va. |
Virginia Tech; Frank Beamer |
|
Jordan McDonald |
Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro |
DE |
6-4 |
225 |
Scottsdale, Ariz. |
Arizona State; Dennis Erickson |
|
Kendall Montgomery |
Miami Gardens Monsignor Pace |
TE |
6-6 |
240 |
Miami, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Mike Moudy |
Douglas County (Colo.) |
T |
6-7 |
291 |
Castle Rock, Colo. |
Nebraska; Bo Pelini |
|
Mark Myers |
Cleveland St. Ignatius |
QB |
6-4 |
220 |
Cleveland, Ohio |
Pitt; Dave Wannstedt |
|
Keion Payne |
Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas |
CB |
6-0 |
175 |
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |
Miami (Fla.); Randy Shannon |
|
Colin Porter |
Bothell (Wash.) |
G |
6-4 |
313 |
Bothell, Wash. |
Washington; Steve Sarkisian |
|
Josh Reese |
Miami Central |
WR |
6-0 |
175 |
Miami, Fla. |
UCF; George O'Leary |
|
LeBranden Richardson |
Miami Central |
DE |
6-2 |
225 |
Miami, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Nick Rowland |
Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.) |
G |
6-4 |
290 |
Peoria, Ariz. |
Oregon; Chip Kelly |
|
Thomas Ryan |
Marathon (Fla.) |
DE |
6-4 |
230 |
Marathon, Fla. |
Vanderbilt; Bobby Johnson |
|
Kevin Schloemer |
West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West |
T |
6-7 |
270 |
Liberty Twp., Ohio |
Cincinnati; Butch Jones |
|
Adam Shead |
Cedar Hill (Texas) |
G |
6-4 |
315 |
Cedar Hill, Texas |
Oklahoma; Bob Stoops |
|
Calvin Smith |
Hialeah (Fla.) |
DT |
6-4 |
265 |
Miami Lakes, Fla. |
Undecided |
|
Tyler Smith |
Wilson Area (Pa.) |
QB |
6-4 |
190 |
Easton, Pa. |
Maryland; Ralph Friedgen |
|
A.J. Tarpley |
Plymouth (Minn.) Wayzata |
LB |
6-2 |
225 |
Plymouth, Minn. |
Stanford; Jim Harbaugh |
|
Titus Till |
Dr. Henry Wise (Md.) |
S |
6-3 |
205 |
Upper Marlboro, Md. |
Maryland; Ralph Friedgen |
|
Dontae Williams |
Aldine (Texas) |
RB |
5-11 |
200 |
Houston, Texas |
Oregon; Chip Kelly |
|
Travis Williams |
Lake Taylor (Va.) |
LB |
6-2 |
189 |
Norfolk, Va. |
Miami (Fla.); Randy Shannon |
Players selected for USA Football's Junior National Team are chosen through high school coach nominations, research, and film study. Roster selections are ultimately made by USA Football's coaching staff, which earned a cumulative 2009 high school season coaching record of 80-29 (.734).
USA Football's 2010 Junior National Team Coaching Staff:
|
Coach |
Position |
High School |
|
Chris Merritt |
Head Coach |
Miami Columbus |
|
Kirk Heidelberg |
Offensive Coordinator & Offensive Line |
Rockford (Ill.) Christian |
|
Gabe Infante |
Defensive Coordinator |
Paramus (N.J.) Catholic |
|
Harold Barnwell |
Defensive Line |
Carol City (Fla.) |
|
Telly Lockette |
Wide Receivers |
Miami Central |
|
Pat Murphy |
Defensive Backs |
Helena (Mont.) Capital |
|
John Roderique |
Linebackers |
Webb City (Mo.) |
|
Rich Stuart |
Running Backs |
Miami Belen Jesuit |
|
Steve Walsh |
Quarterbacks |
West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman |
|
Todd Bell |
General Manager |
American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) |
USA Football's Junior National Team will conduct seven practices in South Florida from January 26-29 at Lauderhill Sports Park (7500 W. Oakland Park Blvd.) in Tamarac, Fla. The World team will practice nine times at Plantation Athletic League Stadium (1000 NW 70th Avenue) in Plantation, Fla., from Jan. 24-29.
Both teams will reside at Sheraton Suites Plantation, Ft. Lauderdale West (311 North University Drive) in Plantation. Social events with players and coaches from both teams will be announced soon and will be open to media.
World Team Roster:
|
Player |
Country |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Team |
|
Mehdi Abdesmad |
Canada |
DL |
6-6 |
250 |
Vieux Montréal Spartiates |
|
Alex Anthony |
Canada |
WR |
6-2 |
195 |
Laurier University |
|
Marcus Babic |
Canada |
LB |
6-4 |
217 |
University of Western Ontario |
|
Julian Bailey |
Canada |
WR |
6-1 |
185 |
Vanier College |
|
Guillame Bourassa |
Canada |
RB |
5-11 |
185 |
College Champlain Lennoxville |
|
Brandon Bridge |
Canada |
QB |
6-3 |
210 |
St. Marcellinus High School |
|
Jovanni Carrillo |
Mexico |
LB |
6-1 |
203 |
Aguilas Blancas IPN |
|
Soonbum Cha |
Canada |
DB |
5-11 |
180 |
University of Ottawa |
|
Sukh Chungh |
Canada |
OL/DL |
6-4 |
290 |
Terry Fox High School |
|
Beck Coulter |
American Samoa |
LB |
6-2 |
240 |
Trinity (Texas) Community College |
|
Tyler Crapigna |
Canada |
K |
5-7 |
150 |
Ottawa Myers Riders |
|
Jeremi Doyon-Roch |
Canada |
QB |
6-3 |
190 |
Vanier College |
|
Mike Dubuisson |
Canada |
DB |
6-3 |
198 |
Saint Léonard Cougars |
|
Shoma Endo |
Japan |
WR |
5-10 |
180 |
Nihon University |
|
Elias Groon |
Sweden |
DL |
6-3 |
315 |
Stockholm Mean Machines |
|
Danny Groulx |
Canada |
OL |
6-6 |
335 |
College Champlain Lennoxville |
|
Dillon Guy |
Canada |
OL |
6-5 |
295 |
College Champlain Lennoxville |
|
Jeff Hassler |
Canada |
RB |
5-10 |
195 |
University of Saskatchewan |
|
Ben Heenan |
Canada |
OL |
6-4 |
305 |
University of Saskatchewan |
|
Hampus Hellermark |
Sweden |
RB |
6-1 |
200 |
Lidingö Saints |
|
Dylan Hollohan |
Canada |
DB |
5-10 |
183 |
St. Francis Xavier University |
|
Scott Janz |
Canada |
DB |
6-2 |
185 |
University of Western Ontario |
|
Sebastian Johansson |
Sweden |
OL |
6-5 |
282 |
Carlstad Crusaders |
|
Tavita Katina |
American Samoa |
LB |
6-2 |
235 |
Marist High School |
|
Jerit Lambert |
Canada |
WR |
6-1 |
200 |
Edmonton Wildcats |
|
Pierre Lavertu |
Canada |
OL |
6-3 |
270 |
François-Xavier Garneau |
|
David Lee |
Canada |
DL |
6-4 |
235 |
University of Western Ontario |
|
Steven Lumbala |
Canada |
RB |
5-11 |
200 |
University of Calgary |
|
Yudai Maruyama |
Japan |
DB |
5-11 |
165 |
Nihon University |
|
Jerod McCrory |
Canada |
LB |
6-1 |
235 |
University of Western Ontario |
|
Byron Perez-Archambault |
Canada |
LB |
6-1 |
220 |
Vanier College |
|
Cam Redl |
Canada |
OL |
6-7 |
295 |
University of Saskatchewan |
|
Jacob Ruby |
Canada |
OL |
6-8 |
285 |
Fort Union Military Academy |
|
Thomas Ruiz |
France |
WR |
5-9 |
173 |
Météores de Fontenay |
|
Aiulua Samanu Fanene |
American Samoa |
OL/DL |
6-5 |
280 |
Tafuna High School |
|
Tyler Sawyer |
Canada |
LB |
6-0 |
205 |
University of Ottawa |
|
Joel Seutter |
Canada |
DL |
6-2 |
230 |
University of Saskatchewan |
|
Matt Sewell |
Canada |
OL |
6-8 |
340 |
McMaster University |
|
James Sifakis |
Canada |
FB |
6-1 |
235 |
Vanier College |
|
Adam Thibault |
Canada |
WR |
6-0 |
190 |
Laval University |
|
Cameron Wade |
Canada |
DB |
6-2 |
185 |
Arcadia University |
|
Christian Walcott |
Canada |
LB |
5-11 |
195 |
Concordia University |
|
Bioern Werner |
Germany |
DL |
6-4 |
258 |
Salisbury School (Connecticut) |
|
Jesse Williams |
Australia |
DL |
6-4 |
325 |
Arizona Western |
|
Jumpei Yoshimoto |
Japan |
WR |
5-9 |
165 |
Ritsumeikan University |
The World team roster includes players from eight countries and four continents representing American Samoa (3), Australia (1), Canada (32), France (1), Germany (1), Japan (3), Mexico (1) and Sweden (3), who were selected from a provisional list of 100 players nominated by IFAF federations.
The World squad includes 22 players who starred at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio, when Canada won the silver medal; Japan took bronze with a win against Mexico and Germany finished as the best-placed European competitor.
Joining the 42 World team players announced on January 6 are three linemen in AIULUA FANENE from American Samoa and Canadians PIERRE LAVERTU and SUKH CHUNGH.
Fanene was among the players featured by CBS-TV's 60 Minutes on Sunday, Jan. 17, that reported on the growing number of American Samoans playing in the NFL. His brother JONATHAN FANENE started 10 games on the defensive line of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009 and also attended Tafuna High School where Aiulua was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Star in 2009.
World Team Coaching Staff:
|
Coach |
Position |
Country |
|
Jan Jenmert |
Head Coach |
Sweden |
|
Masato Itai |
Offensive Coordinator |
Japan |
|
Warren Craney |
Defensive Coordinator |
Canada |
|
Oliver Moret |
Special Teams |
France |
|
Greg Marshall |
Offensive Line |
Canada |
|
Marco Iadeluca |
Running Backs |
Canada |
|
Peter Tos |
Tight Ends |
Australia |
|
Salomon Solano |
Defensive Line |
Mexico |
|
Shinichi Takeda |
Defensive Backs |
Japan |
|
Kris Kemp |
Graduate Assistant |
Bahamas |
|
B.J. Jensen |
Graduate Assistant |
Finland |
|
Marcel Meijerink |
Graduate Assistant |
Netherlands |
|
Mathias Torre |
Graduate Assistant |
France |
|
Jørgen Johansen |
Graduate Assistant |
Norway |
|
Niclas Carlson |
Strength & Conditioning |
Sweden |
|
Rick Sowieta |
Team Manager |
Canada |
Scroll down for USA Football 2010 Junior National Team player bios.
For more information about USA Football's "Team USA vs. The World" game, visit www.usavworld.com.
About USA Football: USA Football, the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, hosts more than 80 football training events annually offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent non-profit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and provides $1 million annually in equipment grants and youth league volunteer background check subsidies. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football (usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.
About IFAF: The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites more than 50 countries on five continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France.
