John Aaron, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – One local high school football player is in such high demand he has scholarship offers from more than 40 colleges, including powerhouses like Southern California, California, Auburn and Florida.
But this weekend, wide receiver Stefon Diggs — of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md. — will be playing for Army.
Diggs joins defensive back Alex Carter of Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va. as local players taking part in this Saturday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, which features 90 of the top football prospects in the country.
Both Diggs and Carter will play for the East team in the East vs. West matchup at the Alamodome. They join the likes of Adrian Peterson, Andrew Luck, Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow as players who have been selected for the contest.
The game, which the Army calls its “largest public outreach event,” has an added twist: Each player is paired with a decorated Army soldier for the week leading up to the matchup, making it about more than just football.
Diggs calls the experience “overwhelming,” since he’s had to fly out by himself and doesn’t expect to see his family until gameday. But he says he’s drawn inspiration from the soldier he’s been paired with, a person he says “made something of himself” after being written off by many.
The 18-year old says he’s looking forward to going out and playing for the troops on Saturday, and is already turning heads in practice. Scout.com calls Diggs “as good as it gets,” and says he has “tortured” his East teammates with his big-play ability.
Carter is the son of former Washington Redskins defensive back Tom Carter and has committed to play at Stanford. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
