Middletown youth, Denver Hoffert participates in the Brett Cooper - Junior Academic All- American Bowl

[March 10, 2015]  MIDDLETOWN - Denver Hoffert, a 14-year-old from Middletown, recently competed in the Brett Cooper - Junior Academic All- American Bowl in Lancaster, Texas.

The game was held January 3rd. Players were made of eighth and ninth grade athletes from around the country.

Hoffert at 14 stands six feet two inches tall. He weighs in at 295 pounds and has the skill set to match his size. He was selected from thousands of kids across the country to be a part of the All-American Bowl. In addition to athletic skill, kids chosen for the program had to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in order to play.

During his participation, Hoffert had the honor of being coached by some of the greats. Among his coaches were former Chicago Bear Maurice Douglas, former Michigan State standout Lester Johnson, and Mike Vascolese.
 

Denver Hoffert with Bret Cooper

with Maurice Douglas

with Lester Johnson

with Mike Vascolese

Hoffert also got to meet Devin Wyman of the New England Patriots and Tony Banks of the St. Louis Rams.

Due to the cold weather all practices were held indoors at the Lancaster High School facility and the game was played outdoors on their beautiful field.

There was a halftime performance from Dylan Murray between the seventh and eighth grade games.

Hoffert's game was played in the East versus West format. He represented the West team wearing the grey and blue. It was a hard fought game, but the gray team came out with the win. The final score was West 13 and the East 8.

Hoffert put on an outstanding performance and helped the line maintain its dominance on the offensive side of the ball.

Hoffert is a member of the Junior Football League in Lincoln. The JFL program is managed by a dedicated team of volunteers who work with kids ages kindergarten through eighth grade.

The coaches who have been involved in Hoffert's JFL career include his father Rick as well as Chris Farris, Jim Sparrow, and Steve Farris.

This is the first time to note that a player from the local Lincoln JFL program has been selected to play in an event like this.

Hoffert is a talented young athlete, and a double threat as he plays both football and basketball. In basketball, he plays for the Carroll Catholic/New Holland-Middletown/Zion Lutheran Crusaders. This year the Crusaders won the Logan County tournament as well as the regional tournament. It seems success follows this young man.

[Rick Hoffert]