Prestin Brown Begins Preparations for Junior World Championships

Brown will be an incoming freshman football player at Texas State next fall, and is one of 45 players from 32 college programs selected to play for USA Football 2009 Junior National Team

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Prestin Brown (#54) listens to USA Football Junior National Team Defensive Coordinator Steve Specht, head coach of Cincinnati St. Xavier H.S., after a Team USA practice at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. Specht has led his St. Xavier Bombers to two of Ohio's past four big-school state titles. On far left is LB Robert Bell of East Grand Rapids (Mich.) High School, who will be playing for the Univeristy of Toledo this fall.
 
Prestin Brown (#54) listens to USA Football Junior National Team Defensive Coordinator Steve Specht, head coach of Cincinnati St. Xavier H.S., after a Team USA practice at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. Specht has led his St. Xavier Bombers to two of Ohio's past four big-school state titles. On far left is LB Robert Bell of East Grand Rapids (Mich.) High School, who will be playing for the Univeristy of Toledo this fall.
  
 

June 18, 2009

Canton, Ohio -

Texas State in-coming freshman defensive lineman Prestin Brown is playing for USA Football's 2009 Junior National Team that will compete in the first Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio.

The Junior World Championships kick off on Saturday, June 27, and continues on Wednesday, July 1 and Saturday, July 4, before the Championship Game on Sunday, July 5. All of the games will be played in Canton's historic Fawcett Stadium, home of the NFL's Annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game.

A 6-3, 242-pound defensive end from Grand Prairie High School, Brown is one of 45 players who will soon enter 32 college football programs. Here are some of his thoughts during the team's first week of practice.

If you could describe this experience to someone back home what would you tell them?
"It's a football player's dream. You're playing against other countries and you're being recognized as one of the top athletes in what you love doing. When you're playing against other countries and representing the best of America, it's wonderful."

You have been practicing about a half a week now. Have you learned anything?
"Oh yeah, I'm learning a lot. The coaches are great and they're teaching me so much -- different maneuvers and stuff -- just in the three days that we have been practicing. So it's real good.

What is your impression of defensive line coach Jeremy Gold? (Jeremy Gold is the head coach at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Mich.)
"Coach Gold is a real good, top-notch coach. I love practicing with him."

How is the competition you are going against on the other side of the ball?
"They're big, All-American offensive linemen who are 6-7, 6-5 that I'm playing against. I know I didn't make all-American this year on defense or anything...I had a good season but I could have had a better season. Being out here, playing against an offensive line like this is making me better and I'm making them better too. I'm not wearing down -- I'm going hard on them. It's just an amazing time being here."

If someone hasn't seen Prestin Brown play what are some things they should be looking forward to?
" That I'm fast, I'm strong and I'll get around whoever comes in my way. My high school at Grand Prairie, Coach Gary Bartel, tells me, 'Prestin you've got a motor on you -- it's like you don't even need gas or fuel you just always have it in you. You're like a water car that just keeps going.' So, that's me."

What does it mean to you playing for the U.S.?
"It's an honor to represent my country. I'm representing everything we stand for, freedom and everything. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world. I'm always going to remember this whole trip, this whole camp -- everything. It's just amazing, it astonishes me, it makes me work even harder. If my coaches at Texas State get to see me play, I'm for sure they're going to be proud of what I'm doing. Everybody at home keeps calling me telling me how proud they are. People I don't even know will come up to me and say. 'Thank you,' or say, 'You go beat them.' There's just this amazing feeling you have when you realize that you have so many fans that you don't even know, but they know you because you're representing the United States. You're representing a team that's called the best and we're going against different countries to show how good we are."


 

 

USA Football, an independent non-profit and the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels, has built America's first Junior National Team in the sport to compete in the eight-nation, four-continent 2009 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio, from June 27-July 5. National football teams from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Sweden have qualified to join the United States to pursue the sport's first world championship on the international junior level (19 and under). USA Football's Junior National Team is led by CHUCK KYLE, head coach of Cleveland St. Ignatius High School, who has led his Wildcats to 10 of Ohio's past 21 state titles, including two USA TODAY "national championships."