Seniors Chad Coward and Trygve Henrikson to represent team Stars & Stripes at 2011 Tazon de Estrellas

ADA — Ohio Northern seniors Chad Coward and Trygve Henrikson have accepted bids to play for Team Stars & Stripes in the 2011 Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) Dec. 17 in Puebla, Mexico.

The third annual Tazon de Estrellas will feature a team of NCAA Division III all-stars against a team of Mexican collegiate all-stars selected from the CONADEIP national conference of private schools in Mexico.

A total of 53 players from 28 NCAA Division III colleges were selected for the game, which will be played on Saturday, December 17, at the 5,000-seat El Tempo del Dolor (The Temple of Pain) in Puebla at 1.30 pm CST.

The Tazón de Estrellas and its forerunner the Aztec Bowl have produced a series of exciting games and established a fierce but friendly rivalry between the American team drawn from D-III all-stars and their counterparts selected from the CONADEIP national conference of private schools in Mexico.

The 2011 edition of Team Stars & Stripes will arrive in Puebla on Sunday, December 11 and after two-a-day practices on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, will have an opportunity to mix lighter practices with an opportunity to explore the local region.

Last year Team Stars and Stripes triumphed 48-7 in Toluca, having suffered a 24-12 loss to the Tec Monterrey All-Stars in the first Tazón de Estrellas in 2009.

Team USA was 10-1 against Mexico in the Aztec Bowl from 1997-2007.

Ohio Northern head coach Dean Paul will again serve as the offensive coordinator for Team Stars & Stripes for the third consecutive season and ONU director of sports information Tim Glon will be making his eighth trip to Mexico to serve as SID for Team Stars & Stripes.

Coward is a two-time First Team All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree and led the Polar Bears in tackles with 85 and two blocked kicks.

He also had two interceptions, four PBUs, two forced fumbles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Coward led ONU in tackles in each of the past two seasons and ends his career with 201 tackles.

He also ranks seventh all-time at ONU with 11 career interceptions.

Henrikson is a three-year starter at defensive end and was named All-OAC for the second time this fall.

He finished the 2011 campaign second on the squad with 3.5 sacks and third with 6.5 TFL. He also collected 45 tackles on the year.

Henrikson was a Second Team All-OAC honoree as a junior in 2010.

The pair will be the sixth and seventh ONU players to play in the Tazon de Estrellas, joining Josh Horn and Andrew Benchic in 2009 and Kyle Simmons, Eric Wenzler and Jesse Richards in 2010.

In all, 13 Ohio Northern players have represented the United States in an all-star game against the Mexican all-stars, dating to the 1997 Aztec Bowl.

Charles Glover (1997), Nate Riles (1998), Steve Vagedes (1999), Wes Hostetler (2005), Jason Trusnik (2006) and Steve Gunter (2007) all played for Team USA in the Aztec Bowl.

Hostetler was the Team MVP in 2005 after returning a punt, kickoff and interception for touchdowns in a 53-15 victory in Toluca and Trusnik was a team captain for the 2006 squad that won 28-7 in Aguascalientes.

Glon served as assistant media relations director for Team USA from 2002-07.

The Polar Bears finished the 2011 campaign with a 6-4 record and posted their 16th consecutive upper division finish in the OAC with a 5-4 mark.