State's top HS football juniors to showcase skills at Grady

Ninety-eight of Georgia’s top high school football juniors will gather in Atlanta on Dec. 27 for a five day developmental program known as the RisingSeniors.com AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl, founded by former Georgia Tech star and Buffalo Bill, Joe Burns, and Dallas Cowboy, Izell Reese.

RisingSeniors was created to assist high school juniors with their athletic, academic and social development while preparing them for their senior year and instilling in them the necessary tools to thrive academically, athletically and socially. This program is offered to the selected participants as an all-expense paid scholarship program covered by the RisingSeniors Foundation.

The five-day event will begin Thursday, culminating on Monday, Dec. 31, at noon at Grady Stadium with the third annual all-star game specifically designed to showcase the top high school junior football players in the state of Georgia. The game will stream live on ESPN3 and be available on demand shortly after the event at PlayOn! Sports’ Georgia portal. 

The West team will be coached by Chip Walker from Sandy Creek High School. The East Team will be coached by Ed Dudley from Ware County High School. The full roster for both squads can be found here.

“It should be mandatory for all potential college athletes to go through something like the RisingSeniors program," said Georgia Tech offensive lineman Chase Roberts in a news release. Roberts is a former RisingSeniors participant and a Greater Atlanta Christian graduate.

"During the week, we covered everything from SAT testing to learning how to handle your money responsibly. My favorite part of the week was going to the hospital and telethon while we were working with the Curing Kids Cancer Association. We all enjoyed the football part of the week, but Mr. Burns and Mr. Reese made sure that we knew the main goal was trying to develop yourself as a total person, with or without football.”

The AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl is held annually in association with AT&T, the NFL Players Association, Rawlings, NFL, and Curing Kids Cancer. This year the RisingSeniors Foundation Banquet will be held on Dec. 27, at 7 p.m. at the Westin Hotel in Buckhead. The banquet will honor all athletes selected and RisingSeniors.com alums. The Georgia Minority Coaches Association will also give their First Annual Player of the Year Award.

The RisingSeniors.com football camp will be held on Saturday, Dec. 29 at Grady for underclassmen looking to expand their knowledge of the game while learning the fundamentals of their position. The camp, which is taught by NFL players and high school coaches and is almost sold out, also provides an opportunity to find student-athletes for the 2013 AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl.

“Our goal at Rising Seniors is to help student athletes understand that, because of football, they have learned everything they need to be successful in life. They have learned how to work with others, deal with adversity and mental toughness. If they can take all of that off the field, the sky is the limit,” said Burns in the news release. 

“We want these young men to know they are so much bigger than football," Burns continued. "Use sports to get a great education because it will prepare you for the most important quarter you will ever play: the 5th quarter. That quarter starts immediately after you take off your uniform for the last time.”

Tickets for the Dec. 31 game are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. See here for more information.