With the state championships put away for the year along with several all-star game appearances, signing day is now on the horizon, and while many area football players are still trying to make up their minds, there is one more football game to take part in.

The USA Football team, which competes against international teams each year, will play host to the final high school all-star game of the season this Saturday, Jan. 30 at Lockhart Stadium.

The 12 noon game matches USA Football’s 2010 Junior National Team – 45 of the country’s top high school seniors – against a World Select team composed of 45 of the best players aged 19 and under from outside the United States spanning four continents.

USA Football’s roster, which features a number of South Floridians and BCAA members schools, consists entirely of high school seniors, 35 of whom have verbally committed to college football programs across nine athletic conferences. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Pac-10 are tied with seven Team USA verbal commitments apiece. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has the third-highest representation with six.

The Jan. 30 game will be televised live by NFL Network. Providing commentary will be Rich Eisen, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders and Stacey Dales..

USA Football’s Junior National Team is led by head coach Chris Merritt of Miami Christopher Columbus.

Local athletes taking part in the game include Cardinal Gibbons receiver Shawn Corker, St. Thomas Aquinas kicker Ben Hopfinger and defensive back Keion Payne, and Hollywood Hills defensive back Tony Grimes.

Corker, who also participated in the Nike Miami-Dade/Broward event, committed to Texas Tech, but schools such as West Virginia and Notre Dame have been keeping in touch since the coaching change in Lubbock.

While Payne is headed to the University of Miami next year, his teammate, Hopfinger, has not been offered a scholarship, and a solid showing in this game could open up some doors with a national television audience watching.

Grimes, one of the top cornerbacks in the country, has already played in the Offense-Defense game in South Carolina. While he didn’t officially make his commitment, it appears that he will be playing in the SEC for Ole Miss!

The team also boasts Floridians Demetre Baker, Orange Park, Quinton Dunbar, Miami Booker T. Washington, Jakhari Gore, Columbus, Ethan Grant, North Broward Prep, Tommy Heffernan, Miami Columbus, Jordan Johnson, Carol City, Corey Lemonier, Hialeah, Richard Leonard, Killian, Kendall Montgomery, Monsignor Pace, Josh Reese, Miami Central, Lebranden Richardson, Central, Thomas Ryan, Marathon and Calvin Smith, Hialeah

Sanctioned by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the Paris-based federation composed of 57 countries that possess a national federation dedicated solely to American football, USA Football’s “Team USA vs. The World” game has been deemed an official NFL Pro Bowl Week event. The contest will follow AFC and NFC All-Star practices at Lockhart Stadium, which will be open to the public. Fans will not be charged admission to attend either the NFL All-Star practices or USA Football’s “Team USA vs. The World” game.

You can reach Larry Blustein via e-mail at FloridaKids1@hotmail.com. He can also be heard every Thursday night (9-10) on the Miami Dolphins High School Gridiron Report on WQAM (560 AM).