U.S. Army Bowl: Loaded with sideline intrigue, on-field excellence, unabashed patriotism
The 18th annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl kicks off at noon Saturday on NBC from the Alamodome.
Among the nation’s top 100 high school players in the game are linebacker DaShaun White from Richland High School and left tackle Darrell Simpson from Justin Northwest.
This game has all the hype of a UIL state championship contest, with the added sizzle of each Army Bowl player being the best of the best — according to recruiting website 247sports.com — at their position.
Here are 5 things to watch:
1. Live player commitments: The young man chooses a cap, family hugs ensue, and a Division I college team is really happy. Planned commits include No. 2 ranked WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, Calif.); No. 2 LB J.J. Peterson (Colquitt County High School, Moltrie, Ga.); CB Brendan Radley-Hiles (IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.); WR Rondale Moore (Trinity High School, Louisville, Ky.); and OG Chris Murray (Mater Dei).
2. Attacks from above: The East team is led by No. 1 overall player QB Trevor Lawrence (Cartersville High School, Cartersville, Ga.), while the East defense has No. 1 CB Patrick Surtain Jr. (American Heritage School, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). The West team counters with No. 1 ranked pro-style QB JT Daniels (Mater Dei) and No. 2 WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (Mater Dei).
3. Battles in the trenches: No. 1 ranked DEs Xavier Thomas (IMG) and Micah Parsons (Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Pa.); No. 1 DT Taron Vincent (IMG); No. 1 OT Jackson Carman (Fairfield High School, Fairfield, Ohio); No. 1 OG Jamaree Salyer (Pace Academy, Atlanta, Ga.).
4. Award presentations: U.S. Army Player of the Year; National Coach of the Year; Doc Blanchard (East) and Glenn Davis (West) for excellence in community service, education and athletics; Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year; American Family Insurance Defensive Player of the Year; Lockheed Martin Defensive Back of the Year; Bowl Trophy to the winning team; Pete Dawkins game MVP Trophy.
5. The soldiers: It’s quite impressive when, during the national anthem, thousands of troops snap to attention and render a salute that would make a drill sergeant proud.
This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 12:48 PM with the headline "U.S. Army Bowl: Loaded with sideline intrigue, on-field excellence, unabashed patriotism."