Vest, Ashley, Martinez named Youth All-Americans

Junior Rank is pleased to announce that Jameson Vest, of Peachtree City and Jay Ashley and Caleb Martinez of Brooks have been selected to play for the East Team in the 2010 Junior Rank Diamond Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.

The bowl game, which recognizes young 7th and 8th grade talent, celebrates the best athletes from this age group on and off the field. This year’s game will be held on the beautiful campus of Campo Verde High School on Dec. 30, 2010.

Unique to only this game, the Diamond Bowl recruits and recognizes players for both their talent in making plays, but also for academics. All athletes, including Vest, Ashley and Martinez are students who hold at least a 3.2 G.P.A. or an equivalent overall grade. The national selection committee for the bowl includes former NFL players and talent scouts, who evaluate the players on game tape or at one of Junior Ranks several national and regional combines throughout the year. All players are also required to provide an academic transcript.

According to Junior Rank Founder and CEO, Shaon Berry, this unique standard makes the Diamond Bowl much more than football but a way to highlight the best scholar athletes from across the nation. Berry himself played college football at Pitt, lettering for two years in the Big East program’s backfield before going to the Ivy League for graduate school, getting his Masters from Cornell’s Business School.

“We are excited and pleased by the class of young athletes who are going to be a part of the Diamond Bowl. They represent star caliber on the field, but also true excellence off the field,” Berry said. “Already, a number of these young men are receiving college interest from top programs because of their skill, but schools are also recognizing them for their character as well.”
Vest, Ashley, Martinez and all the Diamond Bowl participants will be part of an impressive bowl week in Tempe.

On Dec. 29, Junior Rank will host the first ever Elite High School Underclassmen Showcase – the first time ever that freshmen through seniors will be tested and evaluated on a national level - in conjunction with famed talent scout Tom Lemming, made famous in the movie Blindside for discovering Michael Oher. Two days later on Dec. 31, Junior Rank will host the Junior Rank Sports National Youth Combine, to test and evaluate middle school talent.

All showcase and bowl participants, including Vest, Ashley and Martinez will attend the Insight Bowl and receive recognition at halftime on ESPN’s broadcast of the game on Dec. 28.

Junior Rank, founded early in 2009, travels across the country with scouts, such as Randy Taylor from the NCSA (national Collegiate Scouting Association) and Tom Lemming, nation’s #1 prep football recruiting analyst and publisher of the most widely read prep football report, holding football combines for 6th-9th graders and evaluating their current level of talent and anticipating their future development.

For more information on Junior Rank’s Youth All-American Diamond Bowl visit www.juniorrank.com.