Football: World roster taking shape

BECK COULTER

Has played football for four years at Leone High School in American Samoa and Trinity (TX) Community College… was named freshman and sophomore MVP at Leone… won the quarterback award at University of Oregon football camp and linebacker award at All Poly Camp… represented American Samoa in a 49-6 junior international victory over Australia in January 2010… greatest football memory was in his sophomore year of high school, when playing linebacker he stripped the ball and took it 70 yards for a touchdowns in the playoffs… favorite current NFL player is Patrick Willis and his team the San Francisco 49ers… enjoys spending time with his son Mickeylugi Salosi Gaoa and family… would like to meet Snoop Dogg… enjoys Samoan food… brother Cameron plays football at San Jose City College and uncle Joe Salave’a played college football and in the NFL… speaks English and Samoan… plays rugby for Nu’uuli village in the American Samoa Rugby Union (ASRU) 15’s rugby tournament… started playing for Nu’uuli’s second team, but due to his strong performance in busting tackles and bone crunching hits, was immediately promoted to the first team as the team’s center.

PLAYER PROFILE: PENITITO FAALOLOGO

Current School/Club: Fagaitua High School     Country: American Samoa
Height: 6-2 | Weight 200 lbs.
Position: LB

Thursday, January 13, 2011 | Thomas Jones |  2

The International Federation of American Football has selected 40 players from eight countries and four continents for the World Team roster to face the U.S Under-19 National Team Feb. 2 at Chaparral Stadium.

The second annual game will match a 45-player World Team, which will be completed in the coming within the next week, against 45 of the top high school seniors from the United States. The World Team will feature the best players age 19-and-under selected from among the 59 IFAF member countries under Canadian head coach Greg Marshall, whose coaching staff is selected from eight countries.

The 2011 World Team roster is comprised of players representing American Samoa, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Sweden, who were selected from a provisional list of players nominated by IFAF federations. They will practice nine times while in Austin from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1.

“It is a challenge to put together a roster of players who are spread around the world and speak different languages, but we are confident that we have selected the best junior international players available,” said Marshall, the head coach at University of Western Ontario, in a press release “We believe we will be competitive and will give players from several countries an opportunity to showcase their talents and to show the American football community that there is a wealth of talent outside what people regard as the game’s traditional borders.”

Marshall was the 2010 Ontario University Athletics Coach of the Year and coached the World Team offensive line last year

The Team USA vs. The World series kicked off in January 2010 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Team USA earned a 17-0 victory. The World Team held the hosts scoreless until the final play of the first half, suggesting that the gap in quality between international junior football players and their counterparts from the United States is narrowing as the game’s popularity spreads around the world. The second annual game will kickoff at 7:30 pm CT at Chaparral Stadium at Westlake High School. Tickets cost $8 and are available at www.usafootball.com/app/webroot/teamusa.

“IFAF is excited to again send a team of the world’s best under-19 players to take on Team USA,” said IFAF President Tommy Wiking. “In the last game, the World Team showed that they can compete with the best the United States has to offer. When we play again in Austin, we will be out there believing we will not only compete, but win.”

The World Team squad includes seven returning players who took part in the inaugural 2010 Team USA vs. The World game in Fort Lauderdale. Among those are linebacker Beck Coulter from American Samoa, who was among the team’s captains and recorded five tackles and a sack. Coulter has accepted a scholarship to play at Southern Methodist University.

Also returning for a second year are defensive backs Soon Cha (University of Ottawa) and Cameron Wade (Acadia University) and defensive linemen Joel Suetter (University of Saskatchewan).

Returning on the offensive side are Canadian running back Steven Lumbala from the University of Calgary and Canadian wide receiver Alex Anthony from Laurier University. Both also were members of the Team Canada squad that claimed the silver medal at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio.

“It is important that we expose younger players to this high level of intense practice and play as we continue to develop quality players internationally,” Wiking said. “The World Team is part of a bigger picture that will increase the standard of the game outside of the United States.”

USA Football’s 2011 Under-19 team is led by Darren Allman, the head coach at Westlake and the athletic director of the Eanes school district. Allman has a 57-19 record in six seasons as a head coach and led the Chaps to the Class 5A Division I championship game in 2009.

Participation in Team USA vs. The World is recognized as a U.S. National Team competition by the NCAA and not considered an all-star game.

“There’s no better place to bring the world’s best in football than Austin,” USA Football Chairman Carl Peterson said. “The passion for this sport in Texas is deep and generational. Whether a player is from Seattle or Stockholm, he’s going to love playing in this atmosphere in front of these fans.”

World Team roster
Pos Player Country height weight school
DL Tavita Katina American Samoa 6-3 250 Fa’asao Marist
High School
LB Beck Coulter American Samoa 6-2 240 Eastern Arizona College
LB Penitito Faalologo American Samoa 6-2 200 Fagaitua High School
RB Andreas Hofbauer Austria 5-11 198 Swarco Raiders Tirol
WR Laurinho Walch Austria 5-11 148 Vienna Vikings
OL Michael Habetin Austria 6-3 309 Swarco Raiders Tirol
OL Aleksandar Milanovic Austria 6-6 290 Vienna Vikings
LB Jakob Baran Austria 6-0 220 Danube Dragons
QB Ben Rossong Canada 6-3 210 University of Western Ontario
RB Steven Lumbala Canada 5-11 200 University of Calgary
WR Alex Anthony Canada 6-2 200 Wilfrid Laurier University
WR Jake Harty Canada 6-6 205 Henry Wisewood High School
WR Tevaun Smith Canada 6-1 180 Chaminade College High School
OL Kyle Brow Canada 6-4 275 University of Alberta
OL Matthias Goossen Canada 6-3 290 Simon Fraser University
OL Winston Miles Canada 6-6 305 Forest Hill Collegiate Inst.
ATH Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren Canada 6-1 186 University of Saskatchewan
K/P Felix Faubert-Lussier Canada 6-0 202 Spartiates du Vieux-Montreal
DL Lindon Gaydosh Canada 6-4 320 University of Calgary
DL Levi Steinhauer Canada 6-4 235 University of Saskatchewan
DL Joel Seutter Canada 6-2 235 University of Saskatchewan
LB Drew Morris Canada 6-1 225 Ottawa Sooners
LB Andrew Rowe Canada 6-1 215 Vancouver Island Raiders
DB Soon Cha Canada 5-11 180 University of Ottawa
DB Thomas Girard Canada 5-11 176 François-Xavier Garneau
DB Marcus Grandison Canada 6-0 205 Chaminade College High School
DB Luke Thiel Canada 5-10 190 University of Saskatchewan
DB Cameron Wade Canada 6-2 185 Acadia University
OL Roman Grozman Canada 6-4 330 St Thomas of Villanova Coll.
DL Shaquille Armstrong Canada 6-2 288 Concordia University
DL Victor Sarvi Finland 6-5 253 Helsinki Wolverines
DB Tuomas Nurmi Finland 6-1 198 Helsinki Roosters
QB Marco Ehrenfried Germany 6-5 216 Schwabisch Hall Unicorns
OL Farid Jansen Germany 6-1 267 Düsseldorf Panthers
DL Marcel Riep Germany 6-0 231 Düsseldorf Panthers
RB Shun Yokota Japan 5-10 192 Chuo University
WR Shin Takasaki Japan 5-11 176 Kansai University
WR Andres Salgado Mexico 6-2 170 PUMAS CU
FB Pontus Westman Sweden 6-2 200 Tyreso Royal Crowns
LB Markus Westman Sweden 6-2 205 Tyreso Royal Crowns