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Hamill Set to Play for Teams Stars & Stripes
Photo by James Rasp
(Carlisle, Pa.) – Dickinson College senior football player Pete Hamill (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) will join Team Stars & Stripes in the Second Annual Tazon de Estrellas on Saturday, December 18th in Toluca, Mexico. Formerly known as the Aztec Bowl, the event features All-Stars from NCAA Division III colleges competing against an All-Star team from Mexico.
Hamill is one of 44 players from 22 colleges, representing 12 states, selected to represent the United States. Hamill was one of the top defensive players on the Red Devil roster for the past two seasons. The veteran linebacker was a First-team All-Centennial Conference selection in 2009, and one of the team's leading tackler's in each of the past two seasons. He tallied 66 tackles in 2009, including 34 solo stops, adding a pair of forced fumbles, a recovery and an interception. In 2010, Hamill recorded 52 tackles with 35 solos to go with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He tallied nine sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss in the past two seasons while adding 10 pass breakups.
The Mexican team will be selected from the newly formed CONADEIP League, a national conference of private schools including the Monterrey Tec campuses. Tec is the most notable private university and high school system in Mexico, with dozens of campuses scattered around the country, and its base in the city of Monterrey. The 'Borregos' dominate the American football scene each year at every level; however, they were recently defeated by UDLA-University de Las Americas, for the National Championship.
The 50-man roster is made up of players from eight different schools including 19 players from Aztecas UDLAP, 16 from Borregos MTY, 11 from Borregoes TOL, six players from Borregos CEM, and two players from Borregos CCM, Borregos PUE, Borregos CSF and Jaguares UR. The average height of the home team is 5'10 and weight is 211 pounds.
Last year Team Stars and Stripes and former Red Devil wide receiver Patrick O'Connor '10 suffered a 24-12 loss to the Tec Monterrey All-Stars in the Tazon de Estrellas, despite a rousing fourth quarter comeback attempt to overturn a 17-point deficit at the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico.
In addition to practicing for the game at the stadium known as La Congeladora, or The Freezer, the traveling group of 44 players, seven coaches and seven support staff will enjoy cultural and educational visits to local attractions such as the Aztec Pyramids of Teotihuacan before facing their Mexican opponents on Saturday, December 18.
For more information on Tazon de Estrellas, click here
For a live Spanish-language broadcast of the game, click here
