Dec. 5, 2003
DAVIS, Calif. - Five UC Davis senior football players have been invited to participate in postseason all-star games, including the East-West Shrine Game at Pacific Bell Park, the Las Vegas All-American Classic and the Whataburger Cactus Bowl in Kingsville, Texas.
Offensive tackle Brad Lekkerkerker will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 10, 2004 in San Francisco, offensive guard Forest Vance and quarterback Ryan Flanigan have been invited to the Las Vegas All-American Classic - formerly known as the Paradise Bowl - on Jan. 17, and free safety Ejiro Evero and kicker Dusty Apocotos will join Vance at the Cactus Bowl on Jan. 9.
Lekkerkerker, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound tackle from Chico, Calif., is the fifth Aggie player to participate in the prestigious Shrine Game and the first since quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan played in 2001. O'Sullivan is currently a member of the New Orleans Saints. Lekkerkerker, who didn't play high school football before becoming an All-American at Chaffey College, started all 10 games for UC Davis this season.
Other Aggies to play in the Shrine Game include Steve Thompson (1989), Mike Wise (1985), Bo Eason (1983) and Mike Moroski (1979). Additionally, former coach Jim Sochor was a member of coaching staffs at the game in 1983 and 1985.
Vance, a 6-5, 302-pound lineman from nearby Colfax, will play in both the All-American Classic and the Cactus Bowl. Vance started all 48 games of his Aggie career, moving from tackle to guard this season. He was a first-team All-American by D2Football.com as a junior as well as an Associated Press Little All-America third-team selection. He and Lekkerkerker helped UC Davis average 395.1 yards per game in total offense.
Flanigan, a 6-5, 230-pound quarterback who prepped at Rio Americano High School, completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,764 yards and 10 touchdowns this past season despite missing more than two games because of injury. His best game came against Central Washington on Nov. 15 when he completed 24 of 27 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns, including completing 21 of his first 22 passes.
Evero, a 6-0, 195-pound free safety from Alta Loma, Calif., was second on the team in total tackles in 2003, collecting 74 overall including 40 solo. Evero tied for the team lead with a pair of interceptions, broke up three other passes and forced a trio of fumbles. Four times he posted at least 10 tackles in a game.
Apocotos enjoyed one of the most productive kicking seasons in school history, connecting on 15 of 19 attempts. His made field goals are second for a season in school history while his attempts are tied for second. Additionally, Apocotos converted a pair of 49-yard field goals which are tied for seventh-longest in school history. He also made 32 of 34 extra-point attempts and ranks among the career and single-season leaders in both categories.
The Cactus Bowl is a Div. II all-star game. UC Davis players were invited because although the program is in its first year reclassifying to Div. I-AA status, the program is still officially classified as Div. II. Last season, former wide receiver Michael Oliva participated in both the Paradise Bowl and the Cactus Bowl.
