On Friday, January 4, 2013, three prep grid stars from Peoria participated in national high school all star games along with the finest talent in the land. Kendrick Foster of Richwoods and Josh Augusta of Central played in the Semper Fidelis All American game held in Carson, CA. Logan Tuley-Tillman of Manual took the field in the Under Armour All American game played in Tampa, FL.
It was a pleasure to see Foster take the field as an upback on the opening kickoff at the Semper Fidelis affair and even more so to see him start at halfback for the West team. On the second play from scrimmage, Kendrick took the ball over right guard for a nice 10 yard gain. He had a pass reception early and 4-5 more rushes throughout the evening that showed his speed, toughness and running ability. In addition, he demonstrated that he can pass block quite well while staying in on several occasions to help protect the quarterback. On the NFL Network broadcast, announcer and renowned high school football recruiting analyst, Tom Lemming, listed Kendrick as one of the top five players in the game likely to make an immediate impact in their first year of college ball.
Josh had a big play in the second half when he recovered a fumbled punt and otherwise played well. He has not committed as yet to a college and his play in this game should only garner him more attention from Division One programs throughout the country.
The West featured a pass oriented offensive scheme which was understandable given the ability of quarterbacks Matt Alviti and Anu Soloman. Alviti is from Maine South and he, along with Foster and Augusta, constituted the only three players from Illinois to attain the honor of being named to play in this game.
Tillman also had a fine game at Tampa in the Under Armour match-up. The Michigan football community is awaiting his arrival in Ann Arbor and was quite pleased with both his nomination to the game as well as his play therein. (www.mlive.com). There were numerous stars from Illinois in this one, including Ty Isaac from Joliet Catholic and LaQuon Treadwell from Crete-Monee.
Peoria can be proud of these young men receiving the honor of being nominated to these prestigious games. Their athletic ability was an obvious prerequisite, but their character, integrity and scholastic achievement got them named to the rosters. They all have a bright future in front of them to be sure and will be missed in local circles in the years to come.
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