WXW News 1/3/03: WXW's Two-Sport Star Making Headlines Again! |
WXW Heavyweight Champion Samoan Storm Afa Jr is about to make a name for himself once again, this time on the gridiron. The Freedom High School Patriot, who will play for the University of Pittsburgh, has been chosen to play in the US Army All-Stars bowl game, televised live on January 5th, 2003, at 7pm Eastern Time on espn2. "The Selection Tour was created to honor the student athletes who have put forth a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication towards being great student athletes. The tour is a tribute to the athletes selected as well as their families, teammates, coaches, and all those who have supported them in their road to success." On November 14th of this year, Afa was invited to play in the invitational, and it was said that "Afa 'The Animal' Anoai will bring his 'A' game to the Alamodome where the East Squad will utilize his great size and toughness in their quest for the victory." Earlier this year, Afa Jr was chosen by ESPN Magazine and USA newspaper as one of the top 8 players in Pennsylvania. At about the same time, he was winning Wrestler of the Month honors from WXW, and the WXW Heavyweight Championship. Freedom High School coach Jim Morgans considers him "the best defensive lineman I've coached". Incidentally, WWE superstar The Rock, Afa's cousin also played for Freedom in his high school days. Afa Jr is the first Freedom High School football player in history that was selected in an All American Football game, that will be televised on ESPN2 from San Antonio, Texas on January 5th, 7pm kickoff time (EST). The United States Army and ESPN journalist Tom Lemming played a big part in selecting Afa Jr for this achievement. The Allentown (Pennsylvania) Morning Call newspaper has also taken notice of Afa's dual sport talents. Sportswriter Andre Williams had this to say about Freedom's season opener, when they beat Nazareth 28-0, "... Nazareth might have had trouble slowing the Patriots' bullish defensive rush, which was anchored by University of Pittsburgh-bound nose guard Afa Anoai." Making a bold prediction for the second game of the season, Williams added, "Freedom's defense, led by part-time, pro-style wrestler Afa Anoai, is too aggressive for PM East to do anything against." He was right in his assessment, as Freedom won in a major blowout. Whether it's in the wrestling ring, or the football field, look for Afa Jr, The Samoan Storm, to make a big impact in the worlds of sports and sports entertainment. Congratulations to Afa Jr on all of his accomplishments. |
by Eric Shaffer, WXW News Staff |
