Team Stars and Stripes suffered a 24-12 loss to the Tec Monterrey All-Stars despite a rousing fourth quarter comeback attempt to overturn a 17-point deficit in the Tazon de Estrellas at the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico

A delayed webcast of the game will be available at GlobalFootball.com from 8pm ET on Saturday, December 19.

Trailing 17-0 in the final quarter and starting with the ball at their own 29-yard line, Team Stars & Stripes went to the air to move the ball downfield and the passing game paid dividends as quarterback Mike Isgro (Delaware Valley College) moved the chains steadily.

First Isgro hit wideout Riley Curry (Trinity University) for a 22-yard gain and then went long to Patrick O’Connor (Dickinson College) to eat up 45 yards, taking the ball to the six-yard mark.

Another flag backed the Americans up 15 yards, but Isgro reclaimed ten yards with a pass to Orlando Webb (North Carolina Wesleyan College) before hitting O’Connor for a touchdown.  A missed extra point attempt by running back and stand in kicker Jake Parke (Augustana College) left coach Manlove’s team trailing by 11 points with 8.26 to play.

Defensive back Corry Stewart (Hanover College) then recovered a fumble at the Tec 20 to continue the revival.   Quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe (North Central) rushed for five yards, found O’Connor for ten more and then hit Steve Austin (Fitchburg State College) for a five-yard touchdown on third down with the clock down to 5.48 to play.  The two-point pass attempt failed, leaving Team Stars & Stripes down 17-12.

Tec added another score with 1.22 remaining to go 24-12 ahead and then Rodrigo Esbobar intercepted quarterback Fanthorpe with a second on the clock and the Americans only inches from pay dirt.

The first quarter ended scoreless with Team Stars & Stripes forced three and out on both possessions, while amassing 35 yards in penalties before the Tec Monterrey All-Stars took a 3-0 lead.

Defensively and on special teams the visitors impressed early on, producing a blocked field goal and interception to shut out the more productive home team offense.

The Mexicans’ first drive ended with a 29-yard Adolfo Medellin field goal attempt blocked by Kendall Wade (Univ. Wisconsin-Sout) and when Tec was within scoring range, the Stars & Stripes defense came to the rescue

Receiver Duane Michel Mejia and running back Carlos Guillermo both made sizeable gains on the ground as the hosts’ rushing game proved effective.  But when Jorge Martinez Salazar looked for a receiver in the end zone, defensive back Tim Cornish (Bethel University) produced a timely interception at the goal line.

Tec’s third drive began at the 50-yard line and a 45-yard connection between Salazar and Manuel Garza Arias led to a chip shot field goal attempt.  Monterrey was denied a first quarter lead when Medellin’s kick sailed wide of the uprights.

Starting its fourth possession from the home 20-yard mark, Tec moved the ball quickly downfield as Dwein Juarez Gracia stepped in under center and twice connected with Enrique Novelo.  The Stars & Stripes defense held, forcing Medellin to attempt a 40-yard field goal, which this time split the uprights for a 3-0 lead with 6.54 remaining in the first half.

The Americans put together their most productive drive of the first half leading into the break.  Quarterback Kyle Paulson (Univ. Wisconsin-Au Claire) hit receiver Curry for a 23-yard gain and with head coach Bill Manlove regularly switching his signal callers, Isgro produced a 23-yard pass to tight end Brett Schreiner (Lebanon Valley College) to take the ball down to the Tec six-yard line.

The officials threw a flag at the conclusion of the play to move the ball back 15 yards for an apparent unnecessary roughness infringement.  With the clock ticking down on the half, Tec Monterrey defensive back Javier Gonzalez produced a timely third down sack to back Stars & Stripes up 10 further yards from the end zone.  An attempted fourth down conversion came up empty, leaving the visitors shut out at the halftime break.

Team Stars & Stripes again faltered, going three and out on three third quarter possessions and Tec took advantage by opening the gap to 17 unanswered points.

The Mexicans drew three flags to face a first and 25 situation at one point in the scoring drive, but quarterback Salazar twice hit receiver Alejandro Yanez for first downs and gains of eight yards and 20 yards to keep the chains moving.  With the ball on the Americans’ 31-yard line, running back Jose Raul Reyes lined up in a wildcat formation and took a direct snap 31 yards for a touchdown and a 10-point advantage with 4.46 remaining in the third quarter.

Reyes continued to torment the visiting defense as he rushed for gains of 8, 10 and 20 yards before punching the ball into the end zone for his second touchdown from five yards out on third down with 10.59 remaining in the contest.  A second Medellin extra point increased the lead to 17-0.

After the visitors reduced the deficit to five points, Salazar found Jorge Balli for 52 yards in the air on a time-consuming drive that ended with Reyes breaching the end zone on first and inches with only 1.22 available for Team Stars & Stripes to make up 12 points.

Their chances looked good as Fanthorpe sought out Austin and O’Connor, each for 15-yard gains.  He then went to Austin again to take the ball to the one-yard mark with a second to play after a 17-yard catch before an interception ended the contest.

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Team Stars & Stripes have mounted a fourth quarter comeback in the Tazon de Estrellas and now trail 17-12.

Starting with the ball at their own 29-yard line, Team Stars & Stripes went to the air to move the ball downfield and the passing game paid dividends as quarterback Mike Isgro moved the chains steadily.

First the Delaware Valley College passer hit wideout Riley Curry (Trinity University) for a 22-yard gain and then went long to Patrick O’Connor (Dickinson College) to eat up 45 yards, taking the ball to the six-yard mark.

Another flag backed the Americans up 15 yards, but Isgro reclaimed ten yards with a pass to Orlando Webb (North Carolina Wesleyan College) before hitting O’Connor for a touchdown.  A missed extra point attempt by running back and stand in kicker Jake Parke (Augustana College) left coach Manlove’s team trailing by 11 points with 8.26 to play.

Defensive back Corry Stewart (Hanover College) then recovered a fumble at the Tec 20 to continue the revival.   Quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe (North Central) rushed for five yards, found O’Connor for ten more and then hit Steve Austin (Fitchburg State College) for a five-yard touchdown on third down with the clock down to 5.48 to play.

The two-point pass attempt failed, leaving Team Stars & Stripes down 17-12.

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On Friday, Team Stars & Stripes had its final walkthrough before the big game.  The Tazon de Estrellas kicks off on Saturday, December 19 at 12:00 (1:00pm ET) as Team Stars & Stripes take on the Tec Monterrey All-Stars.  The action will air live via a webcast on GlobalFootball.com

Before the walkthrough, the players and staff took a team photo. Multiple local media outlets attended the photo opportunity. Also, visiting Mexico to enjoy the experience, not to mention the warmer climate, were numerous loyal family members of Team Stars & Stripes who made the trip here to support the hard working football players.

Team Stars & Stripes head coach Bill Manlove and Global Football President Patrick Steenberge attended a press conference, which had a very positive turn out, underlining the importance of the event on the local football landscape.

During the press conference, Coach Manlove was asked questions about Team Stars & Stripes, the event, and comparing football in the United States to football in Mexico.

“Coach Frank Gonzalez is a very good coach and we expect the Mexican team to be very good as a result,” he said.  ”It will be a challenge, and we can only hope our players are ready to play.  We hope we have some playmakers, because one will certainly not do.

“I am an old school coach, so I coach my football teams with special teams, defense, and offense and in that order.

“The main difference in US football compared to here is our players play at a very young age.  Many of our players will have 12 to 15 years experience.

“If you want to improve your football program even more in Mexico, I feel you need to add more high school and youth leagues to bring up athletes to the college teams.”

The Tazon de Estrellas clash between Team Stars & Stripes and the Tec Monterrey All-Stars will air live via a webcast on GlobalFootball.com at 1pm U.S. Eastern Time on Saturday, December 19.  A Spanish-language broadcast will be available from the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico through technology developed and made available by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based YouCastr and will provide all the action to a Global American football audience for a viewing fee of $5.  Fans can access the game through the home page of www.GlobalFootball.com http://www.GlobalFootball.com

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Team Stars & Stripes completed their final full practice at the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico before taking on the Tec Monterrey All-Stars in the 2009 Tazon de Estrellas on Saturday, December 19.

“It has been a great experience to have the opportunity to work with kids at this caliber,” said Offensive lineman coach Jim Lyall. “Not only are they physically talented but they are very emotionally motivated. They want to win and that is a great thing. Every time we come out to practice, the players are eager to learn.”

Following the practice on Thursday, the team drove an hour north of Mexico City to visit the Teotihuacan ruins. It was the sixth largest city in the world in 400 A.D., but then Teotihuacan was mysteriously abandoned 300 years later.  The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest pyramid in the World.

“The pyramids were definitely my favorite part of the trip so far,” said defensive end Cory Lowe (Willamette University). “It was cool because you got to bond with your teammates and also see a historical monument in Mexico. We really got to know the culture.”

“They were awesome,” added defensive back Tim Machan (Washington University-St. Louis). “I’ve seen them in pictures and movies but it was a ton of fun to actually climb up there and see the view.”

Other players’ thoughts on the trip to the Teotihuacan ruins:

Defensive Tackle Mark Worrilow (Ursinus College)

“I thought the pyramids were an incredible experience. Just being exposed to something that is so significant culturally was something I wasn’t used to. It was exciting. I am a history buff, so I could have spent a whole day there. I thought it was the pinnacle of my trip experience wise.

Defensive Lineman Darryl Jackson (Kean University)

“The pyramids were pretty good. I actually thought I was in Egypt for a second. The climb to the top was interesting. I didn’t think I was going to make it, but I fought through and made it up there.

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The Tazon de Estrellas clash between Team Stars & Stripes and the Tec Monterrey All-Stars will air live via a webcast on GlobalFootball.com at 1pm U.S. Eastern Time on Saturday, December 19.

A Spanish-language broadcast will be available from the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico through technology developed and made available by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based YouCastr and will provide all the action to a Global American football audience for a viewing fee of $5. Fans can access the game through the home page of www.GlobalFootball.com.

Coach Bill Manlove and quarterback Mike Isgro sat down with John O’Kane of the Press of Atlantic City Newspapers. Here is what Coach Manlove and Isgro had to say.

Coach Manlove was very complementary towards Mike Isgro who he played his four year career at Delaware Valley College — a team that  Coach Manlove is part of the coaching staff.

‘We had a list of guys we were looking at, and Mike Isgro was one of those that we were interested in and so he is one of the three quarterbacks we selected for this game.

Just look at his record, I think is the number one thing that makes him deserving to be on this team. His four year career at Del Val was phenomenal. His record alone is worth a lot as far as the coaching staff is concerned.

Isgro is a fantastic competitor and that is his best attribute. He does not know the word quit. He just keeps at it and has a great attitude which is just tremendous. He is an excellent leader.

He has a very strong arm and he has great feet. I think his feet make him a better quarterback, because he gets out of trouble so often.

It is a great honor for Mike to be selected for the Tazon de Estrellas and we are very pleased that he is here.

All the players are putting in work. We just finished three days of two-a-days. And now we will go down to one on Thursday and a walk through on Friday. It has been work on the field and fun off.

 I expect Mike to give the best he has got come Saturday, and we just hope the pieces fall in place and Team Stars & Stripes comes out with a win.’

Here is what quarterback Mike Isgro had to say about the experience in Mexico so far.

 ‘It is awesome to be here in Mexico. It is an honor to be able to get invited and have people feel you have accomplished enough to be down here and just to be down here with all these guys. They are a great group of guys. We are all working hard and have the same goal. We want to win the game. We have a slogan ‘Living the Dream’, so that is what we are trying to do.

It’s been an honor. A lot of credit goes back home to my coaches, parents, and my teammates. Without them I would not have been able to accomplish anything. 

We got the itinerary before we got down here, so I knew we would have to do two-a-days. We expected it, because we had to install a new offense with 52 guys that did not know each other prior to coming here. We go hard when we have to — it has been going well.

We are going hard. We expect Mexico to go hard on Saturday, so we are going to go even harder.

I am enjoying being down here. But I am also a competitor, so we all want to get our time. I’m going to go with whatever happens, and hopefully I get an opportunity to play a little bit. The most important thing is we come off with a win.

This has been an experience, and this is my first time out of the country. It has been a good experience so far and it will be an even better one after Saturday when we get a win.

 On Saturday, we are all going to play to win. Play every snap like it’s my last one.

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