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By David Lee Morgan Jr.
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 09:10 p.m. EDT, Jul 04, 2009
CANTON: The three weeks that Team USA spent together for the IFAF World Championship flew by.
Now, USA will face Canada at 1 p.m. today at Fawcett Stadium for the gold medal.
In the first game of the tournament, USA defeated France 78-0 and in the second game, USA defeated Mexico 55-0.
Canada defeated New Zealand 55-0 in its first game and needed to come from behind in the final seconds to defeat Japan 38-35 in its second game.
But for USA, what's most important is that this may be the last game for many of the players for some time.
The players from USA will be off to college in the next few weeks; Ohio State, Northwestern, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Texas A & M, to name a few.
Once they get to college for their freshman seasons, many of them won't see much time at all. In fact, many may be redshirted.
That's why today's game against Canada means so much.
''I think a lot of us know that this may be our last game for a while, then we'll all go our separate ways,'' said USA running back David Wilson, who rushed for 146 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns in the win against Mexico.
''We're going to go out and give everything we have. There will be no shouldas, wouldas or couldas.''
USA coach Chuck Kyle, Cleveland St. Ignatius' longtime coach, said his players are smart to realize how important this game is for them personally.
At this point, there's the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, and Kyle said his players to know that once they get to college, things will be a little different.
''I think they know that the recruiting season and the honeymoon is over,'' Kyle said. ''They know that once they get to college, they'll have juniors and senior in front of them.
''It's extremely rare that you'll have a true freshman contribute right away. You'll have some of these guys who may get some playing time at the end of the season or may play special teams. These guys are smart. They know it may be the last full game they play for awhile but they love to play the game and that's their motivation.''
Punter/kicker Mike Loftus kept a positive attitude, even though he knows he'll see limited action because of his position. He was an outstanding safety at his high school in Anaheim but will kick at Southern Methodist University.
''I like playing defense but I think I'm a much better kicker,'' he said. ''I have to do what I can do with that.''
USA starting quarterback Bryce Petty, from Midlothian, Texas, is hoping today's game establishes a strong foundation for his collegiate career at Baylor.
Petty will be a ''gray shirt'' at Baylor, which means he won't be eligible to play until next spring.
''This will be my last contact game until spring, so it's a very important game for me,'' said Petty, who is 6-foot 3, 220 pounds, and threw for 3,549 yards and 20 touchdowns the last two seasons. He's 11-of-16 for 192 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the eight-team tournament.
Many scouting services have him rated as one of the top 25 quarterbacks in the nation.
''So all the competition I've experienced has been great for me and I'm looking forward to this game.''
David Lee Morgan Jr. can be reachedat dlmorgan@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Varsity Letters high school sports blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/.
CANTON: The three weeks that Team USA spent together for the IFAF World Championship flew by.
Now, USA will face Canada at 1 p.m. today at Fawcett Stadium for the gold medal.
In the first game of the tournament, USA defeated France 78-0 and in the second game, USA defeated Mexico 55-0.
Canada defeated New Zealand 55-0 in its first game and needed to come from behind in the final seconds to defeat Japan 38-35 in its second game.
But for USA, what's most important is that this may be the last game for many of the players for some time.
The players from USA will be off to college in the next few weeks; Ohio State, Northwestern, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Texas A & M, to name a few.
Once they get to college for their freshman seasons, many of them won't see much time at all. In fact, many may be redshirted.
That's why today's game against Canada means so much.
''I think a lot of us know that this may be our last game for a while, then we'll all go our separate ways,'' said USA running back David Wilson, who rushed for 146 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns in the win against Mexico.
''We're going to go out and give everything we have. There will be no shouldas, wouldas or couldas.''
USA coach Chuck Kyle, Cleveland St. Ignatius' longtime coach, said his players are smart to realize how important this game is for them personally.
At this point, there's the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, and Kyle said his players to know that once they get to college, things will be a little different.
''I think they know that the recruiting season and the honeymoon is over,'' Kyle said. ''They know that once they get to college, they'll have juniors and senior in front of them.
''It's extremely rare that you'll have a true freshman contribute right away. You'll have some of these guys who may get some playing time at the end of the season or may play special teams. These guys are smart. They know it may be the last full game they play for awhile but they love to play the game and that's their motivation.''
Punter/kicker Mike Loftus kept a positive attitude, even though he knows he'll see limited action because of his position. He was an outstanding safety at his high school in Anaheim but will kick at Southern Methodist University.
''I like playing defense but I think I'm a much better kicker,'' he said. ''I have to do what I can do with that.''
USA starting quarterback Bryce Petty, from Midlothian, Texas, is hoping today's game establishes a strong foundation for his collegiate career at Baylor.
Petty will be a ''gray shirt'' at Baylor, which means he won't be eligible to play until next spring.
''This will be my last contact game until spring, so it's a very important game for me,'' said Petty, who is 6-foot 3, 220 pounds, and threw for 3,549 yards and 20 touchdowns the last two seasons. He's 11-of-16 for 192 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the eight-team tournament.
Many scouting services have him rated as one of the top 25 quarterbacks in the nation.
''So all the competition I've experienced has been great for me and I'm looking forward to this game.''
David Lee Morgan Jr. can be reachedat dlmorgan@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Varsity Letters high school sports blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/.
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