Team Stars & Stripes Names Roster For Tazon de Estrellas

A total of 52 seniors from 27 Division III schools across the United States will head to Mexico to represent Team Stars & Stripes in the fifth annual Tazón de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars), which follows 11 years of Division III stars playing in Mexico’s Tazon Aztec (Aztec Bowl).

The all-star team of NCAA non-scholarship student-athletes will face Mexico’s CONADEIP All-Stars in the 36,000-capacity Estadio Tecnológico on the Tec de Monterrey campus on Saturday, December 21, kickoff 1pm CT.

The colleges and universities represented on the Team Stars & Stripes roster are: Augustana College, Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, Cornell College, DePauw University, Elmhurst College, Endicott College, Grinnell College, Grove City College, Hanover College, Kalamazoo College, Kenyon College, Lake Forest College, Lawrence University, Loras College, MacMurray College, Ohio Northern University, Pacific University Oregon, Rhodes College, Rose Hulman, St. Norbert College, Susquehanna University, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Utica College, and Wartburg College.

Among the quarterbacks on the Team Stars & Stripes roster is Ryan Landwehr of Rose Hulman, who led the Fightin’ Engineers to a 7-1 conference record and a share of the HCAC championship with nationally ranked Franklin College.  In the final game of the season, he finished 23-30 for 229 yards and five passing touchdowns to tie the school’s single-game passing touchdowns record and also rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns to tie the single-game school record for touchdowns in a game with a total of seven.

Record-setting Lawrence University quarterback Luke Barthelmess was named All- Midwest Conference having completed 193 of 346 passes for 2,133 yards and 14 touchdowns.  He also ran 177 times for 889 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry to finish eighth in the conference at 88.9 yards per game.  Barthelmess finished first in the league in total offense at 302.2 yards per game and is Lawrence’s career leader in a number of passing categories.

Lake Forest College is sending a high of seven players to Mexico as members of Team Stars & Stripes and four of their contingent was named First Team All-Midwest Conference for their defensive performances in 2013.

Cornerback Ed Dobernig led the league with 15 passes defensed, including three interceptions he returned a total of 60 yards.  He also recovered a fumble and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown.  Defensive lineman Jake Rotkvich led the MWC with 8.0 sacks and his team-high 12.5 tackles for loss were tied for fourth in the conference. He finished the season with 47 tackles overall and also forced and recovered a fumble.  Linebacker John Dillon was third on the team and 19th in the conference with 68 total tackles and ranked fourth on the squad and tied-for-16th in the league with 9.5 tackles for loss. He also intercepted a pass, forced two fumbles, and made one fumble recovery.  Defensive lineman Michael Garetto-Balmer ranked third in the league with 7.0 sacks and tied-for-12th with 10.0 tackles for loss.  He racked up 41 tackles on the season and 112 in his career.

Team Stars & Stripes Roster (By school)

Coaching Staff: Head Coach & Defensive Coordinator: Don De Waard, Central; Defensive coaches: Joe Adam, Elmhurst College; Kyle Sweeney, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; Offensive Coaches: Erik Raeburn, Wabash College; Joe Austin, Southwestern University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Player Personnel Director: John Roslien, Central College; General Manager: Patrick Steenberge, Global Football.