2 Central Boys Named to Youth All-American Bowl

Submitted by Rebecca Pihl, Dino Brown, and Coach Keith Ballard

    Matthew Pihl and Gabe Brown of Central, Louisiana, have been named to the Offense-Defense Youth All-American Bowl.  Matthew and Gabe are A/B Honor Roll students at Central Middle School. Matthew and Gabe will join dozens of peers in their age groups nationwide in an East versus West football game taking place at Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on January 2, 2012. The game will be streamed on the internet.

    Matthew and Gabe were selected from a group of young athletes numbering in the thousands across the country to participate in this prestigious All-Star game. They were evaluated in 26 different areas in their particular positions while attending camp at Nichols State University.  Their scores were then put in a computer system of all participating students across the country.  Only those who scored the highest across the board were invited to play in the All Star Game.  Matthew, who plays free safety, received the Defensive Back MVP award and Gabe, who plays quarterback, was awarded the Campus Award, which is one of the highest camp awards.  These young men have been placed in a national database that college coaches keep their eyes on for potential players.  The Offense-Defense Youth All-American Bowl is part of a week-long series of events leading up to the nationally-televised, fourth annual Offense-Defense All-American Senior Bowl, an All-Star game of similar format showcasing eighty of the top high school seniors in the country taking place later in the day on January second, 2012.  Offense-Defense Sports has been running full-contact football instructional camps for the past forty years and currently operates in approximately forty camp locations nationwide every summer. 

    Matthew recently completed his seventh year of youth football with the Central Wildcats youth football program (Central Area Youth Sports Association).  Gabe has played seven years of youth football with the Baker Junior Buffaloes (Southeast Football League).  Both of them trained with Coach Keith Ballard at All American Speed Performance Enhancement to prepare for this camp. With this tremendous achievement, the future of Wildcat football looks bright. The Community of Central wishes both of these young men the best of luck in January.