Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl unites friends and football adversaries

Quarterback Phil Nelson, #14, and tight end and punter Maxx Williams, #87, are used to lining up on opposite sides of the ball. All that is changing now, as the two friends and former high school rivals prepare to suit up for the East team during the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl, scheduled for Jan. 3, 2012, at Chase Field here. “This is the first time we’ve been on the same team,” said Nelson, a native of Mankato, Minn. “We’ve always played against each other so this is cool,” added Williams, a native of Waconia, Minn., about 60 miles away from Mankato. Though playing for the East team during the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl may be their first time as teammates, it will not be the last; both have earned scholarships to play close to home next fall at the University of Minnesota. The Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl is the culmination of a yearlong partnership between Junior Rank, a youth football camp organization and Marine Corps Recruiting Command. In order to play in the game, Nelson, Williams and every other student-athlete selected had to display excellence in the classroom and on the football field in addition to possessing outstanding character.