Grant duo latest selected to Army All-American Bowl

Any questions why Grant (Sacramento, Calif.) is ranked among the top 10 in national polls was partially answered this week when teammates Villiami Moala and James Sample were selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

The pair of defensive standouts are the third pair of high school teammates picked to participate in the annual elite event played at San Antonio’s Alamo Bowl, this season on Jan. 8 and televised live on NBC.

Thus far 18 players have been selected to the West squad and nine to the East.

Grant is No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard, and No. 9 in the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.

Moala, a 6-foot-3, 340-pound defensive lineman, is ranked as the 33rd top recruit in the country by MaxPreps/CBS College Sports recruiting expert Tom Lemming. According to Lemming, he's in the mold of Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.

Sample, a 6-3, 190-pound senior, is the 10th-ranked safety in the country, according to Lemming. Sample and Moala are two of the few selected to the game who have not made their college choices.

"It’s a tremendous accomplishment," Grant coach Mike Alberghini told the Sacramento Bee. "They’re tremendous football players, tremendous leaders, tremendous characters. For two kids to get picked from one school speaks about the talent we have here. It’s a great honor."

The other duos selected are from Serra (Gardena, Calif.) - receiver George Farmer and Jason Gibson, a defensive end - along with Steele (Cibolo, Texas) running back Malcolm Brown and teammate Marquis Anderson, a defensive tackle.

Farmer and Gibson also have yet to pick, while Brown is committed to Texas and Anderson to Oklahoma. 

The showcase has featured a regular who’s-who of future stars, including 10 BCA bowl MVPs, 151 draft picks (43 first-rounders), 21 Pro Bowl stars and seven NFL Rookies of the Year.

Among those selected to the game, which began in 2001, are Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and Michael Oher, from the movie "The Blind Side."

Thus far, Texans and Californians dominate the West roster.

Moala and Sample are two of nine players from California. The others are George Atkinson (Granada-Livermore), Victor Blackwell (Mater Dei-Santa Ana), quarterback Cody Kessler (Centennial-Bakersfield), linebacker Tre Madden (Mission Viejo) and running back De'Anthony Thomas (Crenshaw-Los Angeles).

All but Atkinson of the remaining California kids are headed to USC. Atkinson and his twin brother Josh, a defensive back, have committed to Notre Dame.

Brown and Anderson are among seven Texans selected to the West squad thus far. The others are: cornerback Tevin Mitchel (Mansfield Legacy, headed to Nebraska), center Tony Morales (Houston, Texas Tech), wide receiver Jaxon Shipley (Brownwood, Texas), running back Herschel Sims (Abilene, Oklahoma State) and quarterback J.W. Walsh (Guyer-Denton, Oklahoma State).

Others on the West roster:
LB Christian French (Kennedy, Iowa, uncommitted)

LB Jake Keefer (Baldwin-Woodville, Wis., headed to Wisconson)

East selections thus far

DE Sterling Bailey (East Hall, Gainesville, Ga., Georgia)

C Brian Bobek (Fremd, Palatine, Ill., Ohio State)

LB Kris Frost (Butler, Matthews, N.C., uncommitted)

FS Corey Moore (Griffin, Ga., Georgia)

WR Charone Peake (Dorman-Roebuck, S.C., Clemson)

DB Damian Swann (Grady-Atlanta, uncommited)

DE Stephon Tuitt (Monroe-Albany, Ga., Notre Dame)

DB Avery Walls (Eagle's Landing Christian Academy-McDonough, Ga., uncommitted)

DE Ishaq Williams, (Lincoln, N.Y., uncommitted)