Sports
Smythe to play for National team
Sunday, 08 July 2012 by Keith Bahlmann
Belton Tiger starting tightend Durham Smythe is playing in the IFAF Under-19 World Championship tournament as part of the U.S. Under-19 National Team. Smythe was one of 9 Texas selected to play in a seeded tournament in Austin from June 30th-July 7th.
The International Federation of American Football Under-19 World Championship hosted by USA Football brings together eight teams of high school-age players representing four continents in a celebration of the sport through competition and cultural exchange. The eight-day tournament culminates in a gold-medal championship game.
Teams include Panama, Austria, Japan, France, Canada, Sweden and American Somoa. The United States will play Samoa at 8 p.m. Saturday at Burger Field in Austin.
Texas has the most players of any state on the team and leads the nation year after year in Division I football scholarships. The U.S won the first world championship in 2009 and they are the #1 seed heading into the tournament.
Smythe and the Tigers 7-on-7 team qualify for the State Tournament earlier this summer and are just a few weeks out from competing for the third straight season. Earlier this year Smythe verbally committed to play for the University of Texas and is ranked as top tightends in the country.
The US team is coached by Chuck Kyle who is the head coach at St. Ignatius in Ohio one of the top programs in the nation. The US team is very talented and there are 12 players heading to the SEC on the team.
Smythe has grown over the summer and is currently listed as 6-6, 230.
