Quarterbacks SHANE COCKERILLE of Baltimore, Md., and ANU SOLOMON of Las Vegas, Nev., have been selected to play on the 2013 U.S. Under-19 National Team.
Anu Solomon, Bishop Gorman
Phot by Jann Hendry
Quarterbacks
Shane Cockerille of
Gilman (Baltimore, Md.)., and
Anu Solomon of
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) have been selected to play on the 2013 U.S. Under-19 National Team, assembled by USA Football. The team will compete 8 p.m. CT Feb. 5 – the night before National Signing Day – in the fourth annual International Bowl in Austin, Texas.
The International Bowl is an annual competition that unites the 64 nations that comprise the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The IFAF World Team includes players age 19-and-under from outside the United States. IFAF is composed of 64 nations spanning six continents that possess a national federation dedicated solely to American football. Both teams will field a roster of 45 players. Team USA's players and coaches are selected by USA Football.
The 2013 International Bowl will be played at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Austin, Texas.
In 2012, Cockerille led Gilman to its second-straight Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A title with 35-7 win over Calvert Hall. Cockerille rushed for 228 yards and two TDs in the title game. He also threw for a touchdown. As a junior, Cockerille threw for 1,100 yards and rushed for 1,300 more, accounting for a combined 26 touchdowns. He is verbally committed to Maryland.
Solomon joins the U.S. National Team for the second consecutive year. Last February, became the first-ever junior to play for the U.S. Under-19 team. Solomon completed 135-of-195 passes (69 percent) for 2,439 yards and 30 touchdowns with only three interceptions last fall at Bishop Gorman. He added 165 yards and seven scores on the ground. Solomon has verbally committed to play at Arizona.
USA Football will announce 2013 U.S. Under-19 National Team players in their position groups through mid-December.
Team USA is led by
AARON BRADY, head coach of Washington, D.C.,
Gonzaga (Washington, District of Columbia). Brady, 36, is 23-11 since being named the head coach of Gonzaga in 2010. In 2012, Brady guided the Eagles to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship game for the first time in 10 years.
Familiar with the International Bowl, Brady was a defensive assistant for the 2011 U.S. team that won, 21-14, in Austin. Additionally, he has spent the past two summers with USA Football's U-15 program and has traveled to Sweden teaching the game in conjunction with Sweden's football federation.
A national team exemption granted by the NCAA allows high school seniors to play for USA Football and not have their participation count as one of their two permitted all-star game appearances. The International Bowl is recognized as a national team competition.
Shane Cockerille, Gilman
Photo by John Middlebrook
USA Football is the sport's national governing body in the United States and is the official youth football development partner of the NFL and NFL Players Association.
TUOMAS HEIKKINEN of Finland is the IFAF World Team's head coach. Heikkinen was the World Team's defensive backs coach in 2011 and 2012, and the five-time Coach of the Year in Finland was inducted into the Finnish American Football Federation Hall of Fame in 2008.
The U.S. Under-19 team is 7-2 in international play, including 2-1 in the International Bowl. The World Team won, 35-29, last February in Austin.
U.S. Under-19 National Team alumni include:-RB David Wilson, N.Y. Giants (2009 team)
-QB Kevin Hogan, Stanford (2011)
-WR Jaxon Shipley, Texas (2011)
-DL Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame (2011)
-RB Todd Gurley, Georgia (2012)
IFAF World Team alumni include: -DE Mehdi Abdesmad, Boston College/Canada (2010 team)
-DL Aiulua Fanene, Arizona/American Samoa (2010)
-DE Bjoern Werner, Florida State/Germany (2010)
-DT Jesse Williams, Alabama/Australia (2010)
-OL Aleksandar Milanovic, Sacramento State/Austria (2011)
Coaches, players, venues and ticket information will be announced in the coming months.
The U.S. National Team program can be followed on Facebook (www.facebook.com/usnationalfootballteam) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/usnft).
U.S. Under-19 National Team roster:
Shane Cockerille, QB
6-2, 205
Gilman School
Baltimore, Md.
College: Maryland
Anu Solomon, QB
6-1, 202
Bishop Gorman
Las Vegas, Nev.
College: Arizona
USA Football's national team program is supported by corporate partners Marriott, Riddell, Sports Authority, Rawlings, Cutters, Gatorade, Upper Deck, Shock Doctor and St. Vincent Sports Performance.
About USA Football: USA Football, the sport's national governing body in the United States, hosts dozens of football training events annually offering education for coaches, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent nonprofit 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 more than $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 (
www.usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.
