UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

Southern Utah Youth Football Aims for National Recognition

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When southern Utah football coaches get together for the same cause, the outcome tends to be an unstoppable one. That is the plan for Youth Football USA and for several coaches here in St. George.

“We are here to show the rest of the world that we are a force to be reckoned with,” assistant coach Vince Tauanuu told SUN News, “this is an opportunity for our kids to prove everyone wrong.”

Generally, Utah has never been known as a powerhouse in football compared to states back east like New York. “Now we get the chance to play nationally if we win, and we will do our best to give these kids that chance,” tournament director Alii ‘Bear’ Alo said. “They have the potential, and now we are giving them that opportunity to show their talent.”

This event is the newest property of All-American Games (AAG), the owner and producer of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on NBC, the nation’s biggest high school all-star football game. The Bowl has featured the nation’s top preps such as Tim Tebow, Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez and other NFL stars for 12 years.  All-American Games elite properties also include the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl that has annually featured the nation’s top youth athletes and Football University, the country’s most elite training camp that trains the nation’s top 6th through 12th grade football players. Both the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl are played in San Antonio’s Alamodome during early January.  For several years, these all-star games have highlighted the country’s biggest weekend in youth and prep football. Now, Football University will add an 8th grade National Championship and a 7th grade Regional Championship featuring the best youth athletes selected from the best youth leagues and top youth programs from around the region and around the country.

The team is undergoing recruitment currently and practices will start soon, preparing them for their first game in St. George shortly after Thanksgiving.

“We would love to see the community’s support. These are the best players that southern Utah has to offer, and it’s all about the kids,” Coach Ray Hosner said.