INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

HONOR 2002 INDIANAHIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC ALL-STARS

The Indianapolis Colts are proud to announce the fourth annual High School Academic All-Star Team, an awards program that identifies the top 24 high school academic all-stars in the State of Indiana.

In conjunction with the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Indiana Football Coaches Association, the Colts will cite 24 outstanding student-athletes on November 30 and December 1 with an award called the 2002 IndianaHigh School Academic All-Stars.The citation corresponds with Colts-Houston Texans game and the state high school championship games taking place in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis that weekend.

The Colts, the IHSAA and the IFCA worked together to identify the top student-athletes at each position.The IFCA polled high school head coaches around the state, and the coaches tabbed approximately 125 players who ranked in the top ten percent of their respective classes.The IFCA selection committee narrowed the list to 24 winners, and those chosen truly represent the spirit of the award.Eighteen of the 24 honorees are either class valedictorian or salutatorian. All of the 10 high school regions throughout the State of Indiana have an award-winner, and each of the states five classes is represented on the all-star team.

The 24 2002 Indiana High School Academic All-Stars will be honored initially on Saturday, November 30 at 3:00 p.m. in a press conference in the ATA South Lounge at RCA Dome.The 24 student-athletes will be presented at halftime of the Colts-Texans game on December 1 (kickoff is 4:05 p.m. ET).

On behalf of Jim Irsay and the Irsayfamily, and with deep appreciation for the IHSAA and IFCA, the Colts are pleased to honor 24 outstanding football players who represent their families and schools in an outstanding manner, said Colts President Bill Polian.The dedication it takes to be an excellent achiever in the classroom and on the playing field is something that goes unnoticed too often.This award honors those young men who carry themselves with dignity, integrity and a sense of purpose.They, like many other students, possess the values cherished in young adults.We are pleased to honor these individuals, and it will be an honor to have them on our playing field this Sunday.

On behalf of the IFCA, this is a great opportunity to honor another group of outstanding high school student-athletes around the State of Indiana.This is what the IFCA is all about, and we thank the coaches and parents who helped shape the lives of these young men, said Mark A. Miller, athletic director and head football coach at RochesterHigh School and past IFCA president.Everyone I have talked with about this program is excited about the Indianapolis Colts participation with high schools.We look forward to this being a long-lasting mutual relationship.

2002 IndianaHigh School Academic All-Stars

OFFENSE

Pos.NameHigh School

WRKyle GilbertNorwell

WRMatt ZoreIndianapolis Cathedral

TEAndrew EmbryAlexandria

OLNick SchrautHarrison

OLBryan CorneliusEast Central

OLBlake HartzLakeland

OLRichard BauchleWhiteland

OLChristopher HamlynLapel

QBClayton RichardMcCutcheon

RBCody PorterNorth Vermillion

RBMichael DurrettIndianapolis Northwest

PKBen IrwinEastbrook

DEFENSE

Pos.NameHigh School

DLKyle OserJasper

DLPhillip WatkinsBloomington South

DLTyler WarnerRoncalli

DLWyatt RothWinamac

LBJustin ColaneseNew Prairie

LBJacob McDanielCharlestown

LBAlex SandroniPenn

LBMorgan LabhartPerry Central

DBJon HasslerSouth Putnam

DBChris SpreheCrown Point

DBMatt YuknisHighland

PCarlGioiaValparaiso