THROGGS NECK, N.Y. (Jan. 22, 2013) – Maritime football senior
Jeremy Garcia (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) competed in the inaugural Dream Bowl on Monday down in Virginia. The event, which coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, was an All-Star Game between Division III student-athletes and those from the NAIA. Below is Garcia's reflection of the entire weekend from his perspective.
My Dream Bowl weekend was one that I'll never forget. After a long seven hour drive with my mother and nephew, I finally arrived to Roanoke, Va., where my team, the Patriots, held a meeting and I got to meet all my new teammates. There were several players on my team that I played against this year, so it was cool going from rivals to teammates.
On the second day, we took part in a certified NFL Combine, where I was able to go through a series of tests (strength, power, speed, agility, etc.) to see where I stacked up against the competition. I ranked among the top 10 in every speed category, so it was great to see that all my hard work paid off.
The first practice was extremely exciting to finally throw on the pads once again. They had us go 1-on-1 against the other team's receivers and we went at it. Their receivers were really good, but I did my best against all of them. They held a banquet on Saturday night where they introduced all of the players and gave us our game jersey. I was extremely excited to see that I got my number 5 jersey, as some players did not receive the number that they wanted.
Day three was the day all the players were waiting for – game day! I started at corner back, punt gunner, and on kickoff. I also got to play free safety and strong safety. I finished the day with three tackles and no catches allowed. Unfortunately, our team came up short, but the overall experience was one that is full of memories and I created new relationships with coaches and teammates that I'll never forget.
– Jeremy Garcia (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern), Senior Corner Back
