Luke MacPhail, a resident from Winthrop, who plays for Revere Pop Warner ,was selected to the 2012 Offense Defense All American USA Team. Luke was selected as the only 6th grader in the country to make the USA OD Middle school team. Luke recently traveled to Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on December 28th and played against the All America Canada Team. He trains during the off season both as a wide receiver and a quarterback. Luke was named as a starter for the USA team. During the game he led both Canada and USA with 6 receptions. Luke stood tall wearing his Revere JR. Patriots helmet representing the best youth football program in the country!
Pop Warner Football is a nationally recognized program in which kids from ages 8 to18 can participate. It is affiliated with ESPN, college, college recruiting, etc. There are 44 camps all across the country; each camp will select a certain number of players to be on the team. Each individual camp is four days long, and the kids practice three times a day. There were 27 players selected for the middle school team USA Team.
Luke first went to the camp in his own backyard, Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, the home of the New England Patriots. He tried out as a wide receiver, which was a position he had never played. Luke wanted to learn a new position and show his versatility as a football player.
After the four day camp, Luke looked like he had played wide receiver all his life. He shined in the exhibition game they played on the last day of camp and was named the MVP of the game.
He was selected to the middle school team at the Virginal Camp, where he tried out at his natural position, quarterback. He was once again named the MVP of the exhibition game.
Milow Weens is the National Director of Child Development for the Offensive and Defensive Camps and the spokesperson for the All-American middle school team. He had nothing but great things to say about Luke: “Luke is a great kid and really earned this honor. He came into our first camp trying out as wide receiver when he is naturally a quarterback. Luke still ended up being one of the best players on the field, if not the best. He is a smart kid that really cares about his studies as well as football. He will play at the next level from what I see, because of the type of work ethic he has and the type of kid he is. I am excited for Luke and can’t wait to see how he performs later in December.”
Luke has been a part of this program for the last three years and has stood out every year. Luke’s father, John MacPhail, could not be any more proud of his son. He said: “When I received the call that Luke made the team, I was speechless. I did not expect my son to ever make such a prestigious team. He really earned it as he works hard not just on his game but at his studies” I know Luke will flourish into not only a great football player but as a student. This will be a great experience for him and I am really excited for December 28th and could not be any more proud of him.”
Luke shined on December 28 as they took on Canada for the first time ever as the All American Team scoring a 27 yard catch in the corner en zone for their first points of the game. It finished the game for a team high 6 receptions. “Interesting his Uncle Warren MacPhail, who is one of the top triathlon athletes in the country presently is a member of the USA Triathlon Team and his great grand father Frank Juggins was a USA Olympian sprinter in 1932. “