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HILLSBOROUGH: Two Raider gridders to play for under-16 Team USA squad

Two Hillsborough High School football players have been chosen to play in a international all-star game.
Offensive lineman Norman Washington, a freshman, and defensive lineman Ryan Wheaton, a sophomore, are two of 60 athletes to be selected to represent Team USA under-16 national team in the annual international competition.
Sixty of the nation’s best high school freshmen and sophomore football players were selected to compete for Team USA against Canada in the 2016 International Bowl at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, Feb. 5. Kickoff is 2 p.m. on the East Coast.
Four high school-aged U.S. National Teams will compete against national teams from Canada in the seventh annual International Bowl series. U.S. Select Teams at the high school and junior high level also will compete as part of the series.
The U.S. Under-16 head coach is Tom Bainter, who has been a high school football head coach in the Seattle area for 18 years, including the last 15 years at Bothell High School, where he led the 2014 Cougars to the school’s first state championship.
U.S. rosters and coaching staffs are available on www.internationalbowl.com.
The event will feature a week of practices and activities before the game.
The 2016 International Bowl series is a collaboration of the sport’s national governing bodies in each country — USA Football and Football Canada — featuring top student-athletes.
Single-day general admission tickets are $10. Single-game sideline passes, which include access to the field club, are $50. Games also will be broadcast throughout the United States.
“This is an exciting opportunity for these young men to represent their country on the football field and learn from top coaches while working alongside the best athletes in their grade levels,” USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck said. “To play on the same field as the Dallas Cowboys will make this a memorable experience for our coaches, athletes and their families.”
“I’m looking forward to this extraordinary opportunity to lead some of the finest young athletes in our nation and represent our country on the football field,” Bainter said. “It’s rare to get play for your country in a sport you love. To be able to do it in football, America’s most popular sport, is truly special.”
The NCAA recognizes USA Football’s International Bowl as a national team competition. Playing for the United States in the International Bowl is exempt from high school seniors’ two all-star game appearances. 