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A salute to Patrick
Published October 23, 2008
Highly sought after North Jackson linebacker Tana Patrick has picked his next team.
He will play for the U.S. Army’s east squad in the U.S. Army All-American All-Star game in January.
Patrick, one of the state of Alabama’s top prospects, was officially selected as a U.S. Army All-American Tuesday afternoon during a short ceremony at North Jackson High School.
Patrick is one of 90 high school football players from across the nation to receive the prestigious honor.
“I’m really excited,” Patrick said. “Out of all the high school players out there, they chose me to be one of the 90. That means a lot. It’s a big honor.”
The game will be played on Jan. 3 at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas and will be televised nationally by NBC. Some famous alums of the game include current NFL players Adrian Peterson, Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Chris Long and LenDale White and current college stars Tim Tebow of Florida and Chris “Beanie” Wells of Ohio State.
“We’re really proud of Tana. It’s a credit to him, to our team and to our program. He’s worked really hard to get to where he is, said North Jackson head coach Shawn Peek, who has been invited to the U.S. Army Coaches Academy during the U.S. All-American Bowl game week festivities.
Patrick is the first North Jackson player to receive an invitation to play in the game. He was chosen by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection committee, which consists of SportsLinks’ network of regional directors, Rivals.com and recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
“Tana is a talented athlete whose exemplary display of leadership and teamwork have made him a standout at North Jackson High School,” Colonel David Lee, director of strategic communications, marketing and outreach for the U.S. Army Accessions Command said in a statement released by the U.S. Army high school sports department.
Patrick moved from outside linebacker — a position he started at for three seasons —to inside linebacker this season. The move has stepped up his production.
After eight games, he’s North Jackson’s second-leading tackler with 91. He had only 74 in 12 games in 2007 — Patrick played most of last season with a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery.
Patrick is expected to play outside linebacker at the college level.
It’s the second all-star selection in less than a week for Patrick. He was chosen to the Alabama squad for the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic on Dec. 13 in Mobile.
High School football recruits are allowed to play in two all-star games, and Patrick said he will play in both the U.S. Army All-American All-Star game and Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.
Patrick said he has no favorites among colleges vying for his services.
“I’m getting about one call a week from everybody that’s recruiting me,” he said. “I’m going to take it easy (in the recruiting process) while the season’s going on. After that, I’ll narrow it down and go from there.”
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