Eight Seminoles selected for UYS All-American Bowl
By Jacob Meikel
Eight youth football players and their coach will represent St. Joseph in Las Vegas in January.
The Midland Empire Seminoles, a youth football program representing the area, will send eight of its players, as well as their head coach Isaac McDonald to the United Youth Sport Football All-American Bowl in Las Vegas. The event will take place from Jan. 17 to Jan. 20 of 2025.
“For these athletes to put on this type of showcase, this is the top of the top. This is top tier football, and we get to bring it back to St. Joe. I mean, it’s really big for our youth to go do this and then for our program itself,” Seminoles head coach Isaac McDonald said.
The players selected to represent St. Joseph in the UYS All-American Bowl are all from St. Joseph. Jah’Reece McDonald, JaTai Warner, Kiesyn Berten, Ryder Luellen, Michael Wilson, Jdreyl Mabion, Aryion Turner, I’Monn McDonald were the eight players who were selected to compete in Las Vegas of next year. For players such as Mabion, the selection comes as a real opportunity to reach his future goals as a football player.
“It means a lot to me because I come from a small town where I really don’t got nothing. I’m just trying to make something out of what I got,” Mabion said.
For the players selected, it’s also an opportunity to showcase their skills on a bigger stage. The team competes all year long, and next January could be the most important competition yet for these young players with high aspirations. Michael Wilson said his dream is to make it to the NFL, become an MVP of the league, win a Super Bowl and start his own clothing business. The young athlete looks forward to furthering his chances of doing all of those and putting himself on the right trajectory with this opportunity to play in Las Vegas in January.
“Coming from St. Joe, we don’t really get a lot of exposure. People don’t know us, for real. So getting to rep my city… and getting to show people my talent is very meaningful,” Wilson said.
The Seminole football program is in its first year, and is a program that looks to keep its core together for as long as possible, only to bring in more players in the future. The eight players selected to compete in the UYS All-American Bowl plan on staying together through high school according to Maboin and head coach McDonald.
