Five Forester football seniors were selected to represent Team Stars & Stripes at the seventh annual Division III Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) in Baja, Mexico on December 19. These five Foresters include Adam Bernstein (DL), Sean Chapman (LB), Pat Clark (DB), Austin Van Meter (LB), and George Vidas (WR).
A total of 27 NCAA Division III schools were represented on the 41-man roster of Team Stars & Stripes under the direction of fourth-year head coach, Don DeWaard (Central College). The United States trained at the Mexicali, UABC and CETYS University campuses in Tijuana in preparation for their game against the CONADEIP All Stars, a team comprised of student-athletes selected from private universities in Mexico.
The Bowl game was especially important this year as the Tazón de Estrellas series between the great rivals is tied at 3-3. The chance to capture the seventh win and break the 3-3 tie, however, did not distract the United States from focusing on the special opportunity they were given to give back and interact with the local community during their visit.
Following practice on Tuesday, December 15, young children from the Santa Teresita del Nino Jesus orphanage visited with the Stars & Stripes team in the CETYS gym. Members on the team were each paired with a child from the orphanage to serve as their “big brother” for the duration of the visit. Among the many events planned for the children, Team Stars & Stripes organized stations that included arts and crafts, football drills, games, and rock-climbing, to name a few.
When senior, George Vidas, was asked what he will remember most from the trip, without hesitation he answered, “When I had the chance to interact and bring a smile to the faces of children from the orphanage. The kids had obviously dealt with a lot in their life, and it was great helping them momentarily forget about that part of their life and come together as a happy family.”
Each year interacting with the local community and positively influencing others is a key component to the United States’ visit to Mexico. This year, however, Team Stars & Stripes were fortunate enough to walk away with two outstanding memories from the trip.
When game day arrived, the rival between Team Stars & Stripes and the CONADEIP All Stars was nothing short of thrilling. The hosts led the game 7-0 going into halftime and then doubled this lead, 14-0, in the third quarter after breaking a tackle on a Stars & Stripes blitz. Heading into fourth quarter, the United States trailed by 14 points, however the team proved its ability to act under pressure after scoring two touchdowns on consecutive possessions.
The two touchdowns were earned by Grove City College’s Josh Peach and Lake Forest College’s George Vidas. Vidas capped a 9-play, 87-yard drive with 24 seconds left in play. With less than 30 seconds remaining, the hosts anticipated a kick to force play into overtime, but the United States surprised the hosts when they went for a two-point play that solidified a thrilling 1-point victory and the 4-3 lead in the series.
Back at home, Lake Forest College’s Head Coach, Jim Catanzaro, had this to say about his five graduating seniors, “I am so proud of these young men. They truly went out with a bang! By all accounts they represented our program very well on and off the field.”
Forester Football was proudly represented in Mexico by the Vidas game tying touchdown and Pat Clark was second on Team Stars & Stripes with 8 tackles. Adam Bernstein played a strong defense as fullback, Austin Van Meter tallied 4 tackles and Sean Chapman contributed 3 tackles.