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28 | December 13, 2018 | The highland park landmark sports
hplandmark.com
Football
Kaufman switches to center for Blue-Grey bowl
Brittany Kapa, Sports Editor
Kevin Kaufman never
expected he would be preparing
for a game at AT&T
Stadium in Arlington, Texas,
a year ago, but that is
exactly the situation he is
in now.
Kauffman will play at
the stadium that houses the
NFL’s Dallas Cowboys as
part of the Blue-Grey All-
American Bowl on Monday,
Dec. 17.
“A year ago, a friend of
mine that I went to EFT
with, he was older, he got
invited to this Blue-Grey
All-American game, so I
started knowing about it a
little more,” he said.
Kaufman, an offensive
and defensive lineman
weighing in at 300 pounds
and 6-foot-1, was a captain
for the 2018 Giants
and is preparing to make a
big shift for the Blue-Grey
Bowl.
“I’m an offensive guard
on the line, but for this,
they want to have me at
center,” Kaufman said.
The shift isn’t something
Kaufman is opposed
to. Top recruited lineman
often measure in at a minimum
of 6–3, and Kaufman
knew his size would be
an issue when it came to
searching for a place in a
top-ranked Division-I program.
“Having to be super tall
for everything, I wasn’t
gifted with that,” he said.
“[The coaches] think that
at center, if I keep practicing
and I get really good at
it, that I could do a lot of
great things from there.”
The Blue-Grey All-
American Bowl was established
in 1989 by founders
Gus Bell and his son,
Highland Park senior Kevin Kaufman (no. 66), shown here in a game earlier this season, will compete Monday, Dec.
17, in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Texas. 22nd Century Media File Photo
Erik Bell. Together, they
established the brand to
help prep prospects from
all over the country receive
national exposure
and increase their chances
to secure scholarships to a
college, whether that be at
the NCAA Division I level,
or II, III, NAIA or junior
college, according to
the bluegreyfootball.com
website.
Kaufman was one of 90
seniors selected from more
than 6,750 athletes who
competed at one of 22 regional
combines in 2018.
Where to Watch
Date: Monday, Dec. 17
Time: 6 p.m.
Network: Impact
Football Network
Kaufman attended The
Midwest Under Armour
All-American Camp held
at Glenbrook North High
School. He was nominated
by Blue-Grey Coach Brett
Cooper, a former NFL offensive
lineman, and Tevita
Ofahengaue, a former
tight end with the Arizona
Cardinals.
Currently, Kaufman
only has two offers he
has shared via his Twitter
account. Exposure at the
Dec. 17 game could be the
crucial next step Kaufman
needs to find that right college
program. The hope is
that the switch to center
will aid him in the longrun
as well.
“It’s not going to be
as tiring since as a guard
you have to pull and all
this stuff and run around,”
Kaufman said about the
switch. “I feel that technically
it’s going to be much
harder, having to know exactly
where to snap, how
far back the quarterback is,
and just making sure everything
is perfect.”
Kaufman spent the last
few months working on
his new skills, and hopes
that his hard work will
once again pay off on a
bigger stage.
“I’m very excited to
see all of these amazing
players from everywhere,
different places, it’s just
going to be really cool,”
Kaufman said. “It’s going
to be really fun.”
high school
highlights
The rest of the week in
high school sports
Girls Ice Hockey
Latin Orange 4, Scouts 1
Scouts forward Caroline
Mower, a senior at Lake
Forest, got back a late goal
for the Scouts in the third
period of a chippy battle
against Latin Dec. 3. Lucy
Heller, a sophomore forward
from Highland Park,
picked up an assist on the
goal.
Goaltender Amanda Peter,
a senior at Libertyville,
recorded 29 saves. The
Scouts registered 16 shots
on Latin.
This Week In ...
Giant Athletics
Girls Gymnastics
■Dec. ■ 13 - at Maine West,
5:30 p.m.
Boys Swimming and
Diving
■Dec. ■ 14 - at Maine East,
5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Lake County
Invite (Stevenson), 1 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 20 - hosts Deerfield,
5 p.m.
Wrestling
■Dec. ■ 14 - hosts Vernon
Hills, 6 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Niles West
Invite, 9 a.m.
■Dec. ■ 20 - at Deerfield, 6
p.m.
Boys Basketball
■Dec. ■ 14 - hosts Vernon
Hills, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball
■Dec. ■ 14 - at Vernon Hills,
7 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 20 - hosts Glenbrook
North, 7 p.m.
Girls Ice Hockey
■Dec. ■ 13 - at Evanston,
9:20 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey
■Dec. ■ 13 - at Lake Forest,
9:15 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - hosts Evanston,
8:20 p.m.