Under Armour All-America High School Football Game to be Played Jan. 4, 2009, on ESPN

Energy   Environment   Labor   Obama   Education   ARRA   By state   more...

Tagged:  •    •    •    •  

Second Annual Event Moves to Primetime on ESPN; Forty-Seven Standout Players Already Selected to Participate

April 1, 2008 -- The second annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, an annual all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, will be played on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. The event, an ESPN and Intersport collaboration, is moving to Sunday in primetime as part of a new expanded three-hour window (8-11 p.m. ET) on ESPN. Last year, the event was televised in a two-hour Saturday afternoon window on ABC. The event will also include ancillary events to be held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex (DWWS) near Orlando, Fla., while a site for the game will be determined in the near future.

National recruiting analysts and talent evaluators from ESPN Scouts, Inc., will select players for both team rosters. A total of 80 players will be invited, with all them having the opportunity to also participate in a televised skills competition and other ancillary events held at DWWS. In addition, ESPNU will once again televise six hours of practices from DWWS.

“We’re looking forward to growing off the success of our first year by moving the game to a new day during a primetime window on ESPN and continuing to utilize Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex to give the participants an enjoyable experience all around,” said James Brown, ESPN Senior Vice President, New Program Development. “This event is and will continue to be a great opportunity to give fans a closer look at the future stars of the sport, while also culminating our extensive multi-platform coverage of high school football throughout the regular-season.”

“Sunday night football is a staple in American homes across the country and moving the game to this primetime slot demonstrates ESPN’s commitment to creating the best and biggest platform for the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game,” said Steve Battista, Senior Vice President, Brand, Under Armour. “Our Brand started on the football field and we’re excited that our authentic showcase of high school football players will reach an even bigger audience in just its second year.”
Added Dan Jones, Intersport's Senior Vice President of Events: "We are extremely excited about year two of the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game. The move to primetime speaks to the importance of the game. We look forward to creating another unforgettable experience for some of the best high school football players in the country."

Thus far, 47 players have accepted invitations to participate in the 2009 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, including quarterback and USC commit Matt Barkley (Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, Calif.), Marlon Brown (WR – Harding Academy, Memphis, Tenn.); Garrett Gilbert (QB – Lake Travis HS, Austin, Texas); Dre Kirkpatrick (CB - Gadsen HS, Gadsen, Ala.), Jacobbi McDaniel (DT – Madison County HS, Madison, Fla.), Russell Shepard (QB – Cypress Ridge HS, Houston, Texas.) and Manti Te’o (OLB – Punahou HS, Honolulu, Hawaii).

2009 Under Armour All-Americans (Scheduled to Participate)
(More players to be added)
Pos First Last Commit School
DT Corey Adams Saguaro High School (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
QB Moses Alipate MINNESOTA hhh NN Jefferson High School (Alexandria, Minn.)
OLB Ray Ray Armstrong Seminole High school (Sanford, Calif.)
OT Thomas Ashcraft TEXAS Cedar Hill High School (Cedar Hill, Texas)
QB Matt Barkley USC Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.)
RB Jaamal Berry Palmetto High School (Pinecrest, Fla.)
WR Marlon Brown Harding Academy (Memphis, Tenn.)
ILB Vontaze Burfict USC Centennial High School (Corona, Calif.)
WR Duron Carter Saint Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
RB Montrell Conner Ouachita Parish High School (Monroe, La.)
ATH Andre DeBose Seminole High School (Sanford, Fla.)
RB Washaun Ealey GEORGIA Emanuel County Institute (Twin City, Ga.)
DE Ryne Giddins Armwood High School (Seffner, Fla.)
DE Melvin Fellows Garfield Heights High School (Garfield, Ohio)
QB Garrett Gilbert TEXAS Lake Travis High School (Austin, Texas)
Ath Stephon Gilmore South Point High School (Rock Hill, S.C.)
CB Darrell Givens Lackey High School (Indian Head, Md.)
OC Kevin Graf USC Agoura High School (Agoura Hills, Calif.)
WR Logan Heastie WEST VIRGINIA Great Bridge High School (Chesapeake, Va.)
S DeVonte Holloman Independence High School (Charlotte, N.C.
CB Janzen Jackson LSU Barbe High School (Lake Charles, La.)
OT J.K. Jay Christ Church (Greenville, S.C.)
OLB Damario Jeffery Columbia High School (Columbia, S.C.)
OT Paden Kelley TEXAS Lake Travis High School (Austin, Texas)
WR Kendall Kelly Gadsden High School (Gadsen, Texas)
CB Dre Kirkpatrick Gadsden High School (Gadsen, Ga.)
S Craig Loston Eisenhower High School (Houston, Texas)
ATH Victor Marc Hallandale High School (Hallandale, Fla.)
OG John Martinez Cottonwood High School (Salt Lake, Utah)
TE Barrett Matthews TEXAS North Shore High School (Houston, Texas)
DT Jacobbi McDaniel FLORIDA STATE Madison County High School (Madison, Fla.)
OC Jack Mewhort OHIO STATE Saint John's High School (Toledo, Ohio)
DE Sam Montgomery Greenwood High School (Greenwood, S.C.)
OLB Dexter Moody GEORGIA Emanuel County Institute (Twin City, Ga.)
QB Josh Nunes Upland High School (Upland, Calif.)
WR Jamal Patterson Henry County High School (McDonough, Ga.)
TE Morrell Presley USC Carson High School (Carson, Calif.)
CB Greg Reid FLORIDA Lowndes High School (Valdosta, Ga.)
RB Trenton Richardson Escambia High School (Pensacola, Fla.)
QB Russell Shepard LSU Cypress Ridge High School (Houston, Texas)
DT Tyler Stockton The Hun School of Princeton (Princeton, N.J.)
OG Xavier Su'a Filo Timpview High School (Provo, Utah)
OLB Manti Te’o Punahou High School (Honolulu, Hawaii)
OLB Frankie Telfort Gulliver Prep High School (Miami, Fla.)
OL Mason Walters Frenship High School (Wolfforth, Texas)
OG Quinton Washington Timberland High School (Saint Stephen, S.C.)
OG Peter White St. John’s High School (Washington, D.C.)

About the Game

The Under Armour High School All-America Football Game, an annual all-star football competition spotlighting 80 of the nation’s top high school seniors, debuted on January 5, 2008, on ABC, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Organized in conjunction with Intersport, the 2009 event will be presented live to a national audience on ESPN from a site in Orlando, Fla.

About Intersport
Intersport was formed in 1985 and is an Emmy Award-winning creator, producer and distributor of original sports and entertainment programming and an industry leader in event marketing and corporate hospitality. The Intersport Media Group is one of the largest independent producers of sports programming in the U.S. It distributes sports content across all media platforms. The Intersport Event Marketing Group designs and executes national event marketing initiatives, including mobile marketing tours in professional, collegiate, amateur and youth sports, as well as major event corporate hospitality programs. Intersport is headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York City and Los Angeles and can be found on the Internet at intersportnet.com.
About Under Armour

Under Armour® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand's moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products. The Company's products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company's website at underarmour.com.

Source: ESPN

Scroll down for related articles: