Global Football recently announce the Stars and Stripes roster for the 2017 Tazón de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) and eight Lake Forest College players were on the list.
After a week of practice, community service, and experiencing the local culture, the 40-man Team Stars & Stripes made up of NCAA Division III senior student-athletes will take on the CONADEIP all-stars from Mexico's private universities. The game will be played at Margarita Aztiazarán de Fimbres Stadium on the campus of CETYS University in Tijuana at 2:00 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, December 16.
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On the offensive side of the ball Foresters Tom Steen and Jake Burkard will play on the line. They have served as the team's starting left tackle and guard, respectively, for the last three seasons and helped Lake Forest set program records for points and total yards per game. Steen is a two-time Second Team All-Midwest Conference South Division selection.
Safety R.J. Pompey, cornerbacks Chase Slagboom and Trevor Bain, and linemen Tim Finucane and Hector Mendoza will represent the Foresters on defense. The five players have combined for 640 tackles over the last four seasons and the three defensive backs have added a total of 16 interceptions. Pompey is a two-time First Team All-MWC honoree while Slagboom, Bain, and Mendoza have earned Second Team honors once each. Bain and Slagboom also have significant experience as kick returners and Pompey was an all-region selection as a special teams player a year ago.
Ryan Shalosky, who has handled long-snapping duties throughout his Lake Forest career, will also make the trip. His snaps set up successful kicks on 48 of 52 field goals and extra points combined in 2017.
The 2017 game will be the ninth in the history of the Tazón de Estrellas and each team has won four of the previous eight contests. It was established in 2009 after the Aztec Bowl came to an end after 11 years, making Saturday's game the 20th in the series overall.
