Local student qualifies for East vs. West Playoff Bowl game in Texas

Hillsboro Middle High School senior Jamari Harris will not only be playing on the Hillsboro football field this fall. He has been invited to participate in an All-American Bowl that will be played at the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium on Monday, Dec. 20. He will be playing for the East team in an East Vs. West playoff. The showdown between East vs. West will be nationally broadcast on a delayed stream via Impact Football Network.

“It’s an all American game played by some of the top players in the nation. I was chosen by performing well at the combine hosted in St. Jospeh, Missouri. I was also selected out of 6,750 people to get in to the game,” said Harris.

According to their website, the All-American Bowl has become a “Recruiting Bonanza” and in the last three years alone, nearly 80 percent of All-American Bowl alumni successfully landed a scholarship offer before, during or after the game.

Harris received a letter from the organization at his school inviting him to their camp at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Training Facility in St. Joseph, MO in May one week before the Combine was hosted. He attended and then received positive feedback. Then, in the first week of June, he received a letter stating he had been preselected to attend the All American Bowl. They said they wanted to watch everyone on Hudl tape before making the final decision. Harris continued to attend camps and work on his game. He finally heard back from the organization that he had been selected to play for the East team.

“Saying we are proud of Jamari is an understatement. He’s been working hard. He had a dream and we are just making sure he reaches his dream and goals. We are his number one fans,” said dad Erik Harris.

Averi Harris, Jamari’s mom, said, “Both Erik and Jamari love the Cowboys so this is a dream come true for both of them.”

Jamari is excited and ready.

“I’m kind of nervous but glad to get the opportunity to play,” said Jamari. “I would have to say I’m most excited about playing on tv, playing in my favorite NFL team’s stadium, and getting to go to Texas.”

And Demetrius Cox, coach and uncle, is also excited for Jamari.

“‘Success is about taking advantage of opportunities.’ – Mike Ditka. Jamari has been blessed with a wonderful opportunity to showcase his talent and his ability to compete against some amazing talent from around different states. We are wishing him nothing but the best,” said Cox.

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