Jenks Lineman makes USA Junior Football Team

USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, today announced its 2010 Junior National Team which will compete in USA Football’s “Team USA vs. The World” game inFt. Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 30 at 12 noon ET.  The game matches USA Football’s 2010 Junior National Team – 45 of the country’s top high school seniors – against a “World” team composed of 45 of the best players aged 19 and under from outside the United States spanning eight countries on four continents.

USA Football’s 2010 Junior National Team roster presently stands at 34 athletes. USA Football’s roster consists entirely of high school seniors, 28 of whom have verbally committed to college football programs across eight athletic conferences. The Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Pac-10 tied with the most Team USA verbal commitments with six apiece.

The Jan. 30 game will be televised live by NFL Network.

Sanctioned by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the Paris-based federation composed of 57 countries that possess a national federation dedicated solely to American football, USA Football’s “Team USA vs. The World” game has been deemed an official NFL Pro Bowl Week event.  The Jan. 30 contest will follow AFC and NFC All-Star practices at Lockhart Stadium, which will be open to the public.  Fans will not be charged admission to attend either the NFL All-Star practices or USA Football’s “Team USA vs. The World” game.

USA Football’s Junior National Team is led by head coach CHRIS MERRITT of Miami ChristopherColumbus High School.  Merritt’s national team staff is composed of nine high school head coaches from five states.  JAN JENMERT of Sweden will lead the 45-man “World” roster.  Jenmert’s coaching staff spans 11 countries (World team player and coach roster is listed on pg. 2).

Merritt, who owns a 79-22 (.782) record as head coach at Miami Columbus, was the 2009 USA Football Junior National Team’s defensive backs coach that earned a gold medal in Canton, Ohio, this past July in the eight-nation IFAF Junior World Championship. The tournament was the first junior world championship in football history, drawing more than 40,000 fans to Canton’s Fawcett Stadium during the course of four game days.

“These young men were hand-selected to represent our country as elite athletes and exceptional ambassadors,” said Merritt. “They have garnered dozens of individual honors at their respective high schools, but those won’t help us on January 30. 

“We will prepare diligently for a very talented World team. I look forward to putting our preparation into action at Lockhart Stadium at the end of this month.”

USA Football’s 2010 Junior National Team: