Illinois QB Named All-American

Iowa bound quarterback Jake Christensen accepted his invitation to play in January's Scout.com, U.S. Army All-American Bowl and a few hours later he threw a game winning touchdown to keep his team undefeated and ranked #1 in the state of Illinois.

IOWA COMMIT JAKE CHRISTENSEN A FRONT-RUNNER FOR BALL PARK NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

LOCKPORT, Illinois (October 15, 2004) --- As a result of being one of the top high school football players in the nation, Jake Christensen of Lockport, Illinois has been named a 2005 U.S. Army All-American. Christensen will join a stand-out list of athletes playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday, January 15, 2005 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This classic east vs. west match-up will be televised live on NBC at 12:00 p.m. (CST) and will feature the best 78 high school football student-athletes in the country.

“It is a great pleasure to have this fine young man selected to represent his school and community as a U.S. Army All-American,” said Colonel Thomas Nickerson, Director of Strategic Outreach for the U.S. Army Accessions Command. “He has proven himself to be a superior athlete and I know he will add an exciting dimension to January’s game.

Our slogan, ‘An Army of One,’ recognizes the value of individual talents toward achieving team goals, and his talents make him a strong addition to this All-American team, Nickerson added. This game will highlight his skills for a national audience, and the Army is pleased to provide this opportunity to him and all the U.S. Army All-Americans.”

Christensen is a standout quarterback at Lockport High School and was one of 400 players nominated nationally and one of 78 selected to participate by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Team made up of representatives of Scout.com, the web’s largest independent sports network, and Tom Lemming of ESPN Sports and USA Today.

“Jake Christensen is without question the best quarterback to ever come out of the Land of Lincoln. He’s the complete quarterback package. He’s committed to Iowa and he could be the first Hawkeye quarterback since Brad Banks to be invited to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist. A proven winner and gamer,” said Chris Pool, Midwest Analyst for Scout.com.

As a U.S. Army All-American Christensen also has the potential to be named a finalist for the Ball Park National High School Player of the Year Award honoring the nation’s best prep football player at the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Awards Dinner on January 14, 2005 in San Antonio. The Ken “The Sugarland Express” Hall Trophy is the equivalent of the high school Heisman Trophy and is named after record setting running back Ken Hall of Sugarland, Texas.

“We’re excited about our sponsorship of such a worthwhile award,” said Deborah Sabo, director of marketing for Ball Park. “This honor rewards the core principles within high school football that we have here at Ball Park – excellence and quality.”

Also given out at the U.S. Army All-American Awards Dinner will be the Myoplex Speed and Strength Athlete of the Year Award. This first-year award will be bestowed upon the nation’s fastest, strongest and most dedicated high school football player. The Trophy presented to the winner will be set in the likeness of NFL great, Walter Payton.

“Speed and strength are the keys to success on the field,” said Heather Fitzgerald, marketing director for Myoplex. “And the keys to developing speed and strength are hard work in the gym and proper nutrition. We’ve helped elite NFL players improve their nutrition for more than a decade. With this award, we hope to show the nation’s top high school football players the role proper nutrition plays in reaching their goals.”

The winning team of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl will receive the Herman Boone Trophy named after the legendary Virginia high school football coach who was immortalized in the Disney feature film, Remember the Titans. Also, the game MVP will receive the Pete Dawkins MVP Trophy named after the 1958 Heisman Trophy winner.