Senior Mike King to represent Ohio Northern, Team Stars & Stripes at 2013 Tazon de Estrellas in Monterrey, Mexico
By Tim Glon
| Tazon de Estrellas website |
ADA — Senior defensive tackle Mike King will represent Ohio Northern and Team Stars & Stripes in the 2013 Tazon de Estrellas football bowl game December 21 in Monterrey, Mexico.
Team Stars & Stripes consists of 52 NCAA Division III all-stars representing 27 schools from all over the country and will face a team of Mexican collegiate all-stars from its premier CONADEIP league.
The game will kickoff at 2 pm (EST) at the 36,000-seat Estadio Tecnológico on the campus of Tecnológico de Monterrey.
This is the fifth annual game under the current format and King will be the 11th Polar Bear player to appear in the game.
King is a two-time Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree and has started 26 games in his four seasons on the Polar Bear varsity.
This year, he collected 33 tackles (14 solo), led the squad with 4.5 sacks and was third with 6.5 TFL.
A four-year regular on the defensive line, King played in 39 career games and finished his career with 100 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 21 TFL.
Fans, families and friends of the American NCAA Division III all-stars can watch all the action live at the website http://deportes.terra.com.mx/en-vivo/19870/ on Saturday, December 21 at 1pm CT / 2pm ET.
The game commentary will be in Spanish language and visitors to the website should click a banner promoting the game posted on December 21 to access the live feed.
"We are delighted that Terra.com will be able to bring this great game into the homes of football fans in the United States for people to enjoy the excitement of our annual visit to Mexico," said Global Football President Patrick Steenberge. "A great friendly rivalry has emerged during the 15 years we have been traveling to Mexico and this game will be no exception."
The NCAA Division III all-star roster, known collectively as Team Stars & Stripes, will fly to Mexico on December 15 to prepare for the game under head coach Don De Waard, the defensive coordinator at Central College (Iowa). The veteran of previous Tazón de Estrellas games and its predecessor the Aztec Bowl won on his head-coaching debut in 2012 as the Americans triumphed 32-15 at La Fortaleza Azul in Guadalajara.
Cesar Martinez, who took over the head-coaching role at Tec de Monterrey from legendary retired coach Frank Gonzalez, will coach the CONADEIP All-Stars.
The 16th annual post-season game in Mexico for NCAA Division III stars will feature a 52-man Team Stars & Stripes roster selected from 27 D-III schools who will travel to Monterrey for a combination of two-a-day practices with an opportunity to explore the region before the Saturday game. They will also experience the local culture and participate in a community service project.
Team Stars & Stripes and Mexico have split the two previous Tazon de Estrellas games, with Stars & Stripes winning 32-15 last year in Guadalajara and 48-7 in 2010 in Toluca and Mexico winning 45-27 in 2011 in Puebla and 24-12 in 2009 in Atizapan de Zaragoza.