Sports

OFHS Grad, Illinois Wesleyan Senior to Play in International Game

IWU senior tight end Parker Carroll will represent the college in the Bowl of the Stars in Guadalajara, Mexico on Dec. 15.

His fans might have thought his football career was over, but Parker Carroll will take to the field one last time. 

Illinois Wesleyan senior tight end Carroll has been added to the Team Stars & Stripes squad to complete a 48-man roster that will play in the Tazón de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) at La Fortaleza Azul (The Blue Fortress) against the CONADEIP All-Stars in Guadalajara, Mexico on Saturday, Dec. 15.

A second team All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection, Carroll made eight catches for 123 yards and a touchdown this fall. He was a team co-captain and earned the squad's "Best Big Skill" postseason honor as well as the co-winner of the "Doug Schmied Award".

Team Stars & Stripes, led by head coach Don De Waard from Central College, will travel to Guadalajara on Dec. 9. Following two-a-day practices on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the players will have an opportunity to explore the local region before Saturday's game. 

The group will visit the colonial city of Guadalajara and the highlands region setting northwest of Mexico City. They will stay on the Tec de Monterrey campus and will have a chance to interact with the Mexican players throughout the week.

In addition to Illinois Wesleyan, the other 25 schools represented on Team Stars & Stripes are: Amherst, Augustana, Buena Vista, Central College, Centre, College of Mt. St. Joseph, College of St. Scholastica, Dickinson, Elmhurst, Framingham State, Grinnell, Grove City, Hanover, Kalamazoo, Lake Forest, Loras, Manchester, North Central, Ohio Northern, Salisbury, Susquehanna, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wartburg, and Waynesburg.

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