Vista Murrieta's Cravens Selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Su’a Cravens of Vista Murrieta High School has been selected to play in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, joining an elite group of All-Americans.

Those selected will play in the game on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The annual East vs. West match-up will be televised live on NBC at 1 p.m. EST and will feature the nation’s top 90 high school football players.

On Friday, local soldiers were at Vista Murrieta to present Cravens his honorary All-American Bowl jersey. The Army also recognized Coach Coley Candaele and invited him to come to San Antonio as well, acknowledging that leadership and teamwork help develop each All-American.

“Su’a is a talented athlete whose leadership and teamwork qualities have made him a standout at Vista Murrieta High School,” said John Myers, Director of Marketing, Army Marketing and Research Group. “Only the strongest wear the Army colors, and Su’a possesses mental, emotional and physical strengths similar to the Army Strong Soldier, that have afforded him that honor. We are proud to welcome all of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl players and commend each of them on their selection.”

Cravens was selected by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee, which consists of All American Games’ network of regional directors and Rivals.com. U.S. Army All-Americans are eligible for the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award, the Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year Award, the American Family Insurance Defensive Player of the Year Award, the Pete Dawkins Game MVP Award, and the Felix “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn Davis Awards.

As a result of Cravens being selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, his head coach Coley Candaele is invited to travel to San Antonio and attend the U.S. Army Coaches Academy, an elite three-day learning experience featuring NFLcoaches, as well as participate in bowl-week activities.

For more than a decade, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been the Nation’s premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars. Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Ndamukong Suh, Andrew Luck, and Marcus Lattimore all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans. In the 2012 NFL Draft Andrew Luck became the first U.S. Army All-American Bowl alumnus to be selected with the first overall pick.  The 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew a record crowd of 39,011 to the Alamodome, and was the most-watched sporting event on television over the weekend, excluding the NFL playoffs.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is owned and produced by All American Games, a New Jersey-based sports marketing and event management company. The U.S. Army is the title sponsor of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and American Family Insurance is the lead national sponsor and presenting sponsor of the telecast on NBC. Other national sponsors include adidas, Rivals.com, San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gatorade, SKLZ, NCSA, School of the Legends, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Lockheed Martin, Xenith, Battle Sports Science, Oakley, NewTek and Football University. National sponsors of the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band include NAfME: The National Association for Music Education, Drum Corps International, Jupiter Band Instruments and DeMoulin Uniforms.

For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events visit Usarmyallamericanbowl.com and Goarmy.com/events/aab.

—News release submitted to Murrieta Patch