Tampa Camper Austen Love to Attend Youth Bowl

2009-12-04

HUDSON - National showcase games such as the annual Offense-Defense All-American Bowl are typically open only to the best high school football seniors from across the country. The players get to cut loose and make their respective future college football fan bases collectively salivate.

Gearing up for its fourth all-star game in January, Offense-Defense All-American Bowl Director Artie Gigantino said the company, which runs 40 football camps nationwide, decided to organize something similar for its younger participants.

Before to the Jan. 2 high school senior game aired on Fox College Sports, youths from across the country will be at a Myrtle Beach, S.C., facility to play in four age-specific games and call themselves All-Americans, too.

"We made it in conjunction with the big event to kind of be a Bowl Week now," Gigantino said. "About 4,000 parents and kids are going to be there."

One out of that crush of people will be Hudson's Austen Love, a 9-year-old member of the South Pasco Predators Junior Pee Wee team.

Austen attended the Tampa-area Offense-Defense Sports camp at Saint Leo University from June 13-16 and his performance there earned him his eventual invite.

"He's just a tough little kid," said Austen's father and Predators coach Wayne Love. "Nothing fazes him, he enjoys the game and he just plays as hard as he can."

Austen will play in the 9- to 10-year-old division in Myrtle Beach, but has spent the majority of his young football career playing against older kids because of his size. The Hudson Elementary straight-A student participated with the 10- to 11-year-olds during June's camp.

A tight end and defensive tackle, Austen will be joined in South Carolina by 13 other 9- and 10-year-old Floridian players, including three others from Pasco. Darin Kilfoyl (QB/DE), Ryan Verscharen (RB/LB) and Aaron Shea (OL/DL) are from Land O' Lakes.

Later in the day on Jan. 2, all four will get to jump in the stands and watch Pasco High star quarterback D.J. Clower play during the main event.