AFW ELITE ’18 Players Use International Experience to Prepare for College
AFW ELITE Ireland Pre-Game
As many as three dozen players from the USA-AFW ELITE ’18 teams that traveled to either Ireland or Italy to tour, bond together and defeat respective national teams of the host countries this past spring will be moving on to start their collegiate football careers in the coming month. Members of these US high school select teams were brought together by American Football Worldwide to gain the educational benefits of international travel and the unique thrill of international competition and sportsmanship. These ambitious student-athletes utilized the opportunity to be challenged in a unique way and developed improved skills and gained knowledge that will help them move on to be better players – and successful students – at the collegiate level.
AFW ELITE Italy – Lake Como
AFW ELITE’s Ireland team explored sites in Galway including an excursion to the Cliffs of Moher, sites in Limerick with a co-practice with the University of Limerick Vikings American Football Club, and in Dublin with its numerous cultural sites. AFW ELITE’s Italy team started in Rome and Vatican City, then proceeded into Tuscany with day stops in Siena, Florence and Cinque Terra. Their week culminated in Milan and Como with a brief excursion to Lugano, Switzerland. Both teams concluded their weeks of exploration, incredible growth and coming together as a team with a game of American football versus the best U19 American football players Ireland and Italy had to offer.
AFW ELITE Italy ’18 OLine Power!
American Football Worldwide was fortunate to have young men who represented the USA with tremendous honor during their respective tours. Signifying the strength of the team American Football Worldwide assembled, at least 37 AFW ELITE players will continue to grow through the opportunities and challenges that college football has to offer. The list of USA-AFW ELITE players graduating to the collegiate level and collegiate football includes:
USA-AFW ELITE Ireland Team – Known College Commitments
| First | Last | High School | Hometown, ST | COLLEGE |
| Ryan | Baerg | Gig Harbor | Gig Harbor, WA | Southern Nazarene Univ. (OK) |
| McCormac | Barry | Bishop Shanahan | Malvern, PA | St. Anselm College (NH) |
| Austin | Behnke | Roseville | Roseville, MI | Adrian College (MI) |
| Robert ‘Tre’ | Blakes | Second Baptist | Pearland, TX | Millsaps College (MS) |
| Wyatt | Brennan | Holy Cross | Woodbury, CT | Endicott College (MA) |
| Michael | Cicolani | Wooster | Wooster, OH | Ashland Universtiy (OH) |
| Gavin | Dooley | Prairie | Cedar Rapids, IA | Wartburg College (IA) |
| Chauncey | Flemings III | Coal Ridge | Silt, CO | Montana St. University (walk-on) |
| Spencer | Kuhn | Riceville | Riceville, IA | Gustavus Adolphus College (MN) |
| Zachary | Ntia | Wooster | Wooster, OH | Oberlin College (OH) |
| Nicolas | Sabatino | Willowbrook | Villa Park, IL | St. Olaf College (MN) |
| Robert | Savage | Handsworth | North Vancouver, BC | Dakota State University (SD) |
| Markus | Sidwell | Glen Burnie | Glen Burnie, MD | Lycoming College (PA) |
| Connor | Simpson | Westiew | San Diego, CA | Univ. of Kentucky (walk-on) |
| Trevor | Thompson | Lake County Christian | Fort Worth, TX | Southern Nazarene Univ. (OK) |
| Dakota | Van Dyke | Cosumnes Oak | Elk Grove, CA | Saginaw Valley State (MI) |
| William ‘Jared’ | Vaughn | Heritage | Leesburg, VA | Christopher Newport Univ. (VA) |
| Thomas | Yager | Maine South | Park Ridge, IL | Carnegie Mellon Univ. (PA) |
USA-AFW ELITE Italy Team – Known College Commitments
| First | Last | High School | Hometown, ST | COLLEGE |
| Daniel | Aguilar | Sante Fe | Santa Fe Springs, CA | Asuza Pacific Univ. (CA) (walk-on) |
| Keonte | Burton | Lansdowne | Baltimore, MD | Keiser University (FL) |
| Nick | Crespo | Chaminade College Prep | West Hills, CA | Doane College (NE) |
| Ryan | Heath | Taft | Woodland Hills, CA | Trinity International (IL) |
| Tre’vonne | Hunt | Vacaville | Vacaville, CA | Southern Oregon University |
| Chandler | Jones | Jordan | Sandy, UT | Missouri Valley College |
| John | Keen | Sacred Heart Griffin | Springfield, IL | Univ. of Wisconsin – Platteville |
| Dalton | Moore | Lewis Central | Council Bluffs, IA | Dordt College (NE) |
| Colin | Mott | Colonial Heights | Colonial Heights, VA | Drake University (IA) |
| Aristotle | Nakos | Mount Carmel | Chicago, IL | Butler University (IN) |
| Justin | Ogle | Taft | Woodland, CA | Moorpark College (CA) |
| Jacob | Rainey | Orangefield | Orangefield, TX | University of Tulsa (OK) |
| Andrew | Rapps | Geneseo | Geneseo, IL | Hope College (MI) |
| Cole | Recker | Lewis-Palmer | Monument, CO | Presentation College (SD) |
| Joe | Reyes | San Fernando | San Bernadino. CA | Moorpark College (CA) |
| Alfred | Rodriguez | Lamar | Houston, TX | Iowa Wesleyan University |
| Vance | Roudebush | Carmel | Carmel, IN | Wabash College (IN) |
| Mikey | Scarpinato | Alleman | Sherrard, IL | Augustana College (IL) |
| Dennis | Wright | Kennesaw Mountain | Kennesaw, GA | Methodist University (NC) |
Best wishes for continued success to our outstanding AFW ELITE 2018 team members.
AFW ELITE OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2019 – For the spring of 2019, plans are solidifying for AFW ELITE to return to both Italy and Ireland in late March to early April. If you or a high school student-athlete you know is interested in potentially being a part of the AFW ELITE ’19 teams and tour, please contact AFW at jb@americanfootballworldwide.com.