Youth Bowl Modeled After U.S. Army All-American BowlWharton, NJ – July 26, 2011 – All American Games, Football University and Eastbay are proud to announce that defensive back
Nicco Fertitta from Las Vegas has been selected to play for the USA U-15 team at the 2012 Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl, taking place January 8, 2012, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The USA U-15 team will take on the U-15 team from Canada.
This will be the second Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl for the incoming ninth grader at perennial power Bishop Gorman High School who played as a defensive back and running back for the Junior Liberty Patriots last season. Fertitta played as a free safety in the 8th-grade, no-weight-limit game this past January. After Fertitta's standout performances at the Las Vegas Football University camp and during last weekend's elite FBU TOP GUN camp in Williamsburg, Va., he was an easy selection for National Bowl Director Erik Richards.
"Nicco's greatest asset is his ability to learn coverages and he already has a grasp on what will be taught at Bowl Week," said Richards. "He seems to have a sixth sense about where everyone is supposed to be on the field and after speaking with him at TOP GUN, it sounds like he has unfinished business."
This January will be the 4th-annual Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl. Pitting the nation's top youth football players against one another in an all-star format, the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl brings together the top youth talent in the nation. Fertitta is one of just a handful who will be able to compete in this exclusive showcase and one of the rare returning selections.
After last year's Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl, Fertitta said, "It has been awesome to be able to experience this week and these great games."
The Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl consists of the U-15 USA-Canada Youth Bowl and three East vs. West all-star games, one for the top 40 7th graders with a 175-pound limit, one for the top 40 8th graders with a 185-pound limit and a third game featuring the top 40 8th graders with no weight limit.
Since its inception, many of the top players in the Bowl have received college interest and national attention from media outlets such as USA Today, Sports Illustrated and the New York Times. The Bowl week consists of practices, a skills competition, and break-out sessions with Hall of Famers, as well as current and former NFL stars and celebrities. The Youth All-Americans also get VIP access to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and were honored during the game, which takes place the day before.
Several thousand youth all-stars were nominated for this elite honor. Athletes had to fill out a nomination form and submit a highlight tape. The selection committee, which consists of Football University's regional directors and scouts, work year round with hundreds of local youth football coaches and commissioners who help identify top athletes.
For more information on the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl and its related events, visit:
www.footballuniversity.org or www.eastbay.com/eastbayyouthallamericanbowl . National sponsors of the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl include Eastbay, adidas, Battle Sports Science – TapouT, Gatorade, Schutt Sports and Youth Football Coaches Association (YFBCA).
All American Games (formerly SportsLink) is a sport management and marketing company based in Wharton, New Jersey, that produces and manages many of the nation's premier high school and youth sporting events. All American Games' properties include the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, U.S. Army Coaches Academy, U.S. Army National Combine, U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, Football University, Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl, FBU TOP GUN, American Baseball University, the All-American Baseball Game, and two seasons of the hit-reality television show "The Ride," which garnered coverage in almost 80 million homes and airs on MTV2.
CONTACT: Adam Liberman; aliberman@allamericangames.com; Office: 973-366-8448, Ext. 265; Cell: 678-643-7784