Pop Warner athletes recognized for academic excellence

FALLBROOK — Football fans congratulated 23 Pop Warner athletes during the Fallbrook High School varsity football game on November 2; all 23 achieved academic excellence and met the criteria for All American status as established by the National Office of the Pop Warner Little Scholars organization.

To be eligible, students must participate in the Pop Warner football or cheer program; be in the fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth grade; and carry an overall GPA of 96 percent or higher.

The scholar athletes recognized were: Devon Alkema, Nathan Benner, Chase Carpenter, Clayton Dale, Jonathan Espinosa, Tucker Fleischmann, Madison Fowlie, Nolan Fowlie, Logan Genduso, Emanuel Juarez, Patrick Lape, Kainan MacDonald, Joel Maddock, Micah Marroquin, Alexander McCarty, Connor McClelland, James Ratcliff, Issac Ratz, Amanda Russell, Jacob Smyth, Andrea Stofko, Alex Whitson and Zeke Young.

The number of athletes qualifying for All American status has increased over the last year. In the 2006 season, there were 19 athletes who met the stringent criteria.

The Pop Warner Program philosophy has been that athletics and scholastics go hand in hand; in fact, good scholastics are required for participant eligibility during the regular season.

More information on Fallbrook’s program can be accessed at the organization’s Web site, http://www.fallbrookpopwarner.org.