JEREMY ASHCRAFT AND MICHAEL PODOBNIK SELECTED TO PLAY
IN EIGHTH-ANNUAL EAST COAST BOWL

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Wonder Boy senior football players Jeremy Ashcraft and Michael Podobnik have been selected to play for the South squad in this Saturday’s 8th-Annual East Coast Bowl in Petersburg, Va. Kick-off for Saturday’s East Coast Bowl is set for 11 a.m. CST at historic Cameron Stadium.

The East Coast Bowl has become a Thanksgiving tradition in Petersburg, Va., as its brings in 75 of the top players from NCAA Division I-FCS, II, III and NAIA to compete in an all-star football game. The players report to Petersburg the day before Thanksgiving and spend the holiday doing various community visits, as well as, practice in front of NFL scouts. The all-star football game is set-up as a scholarship event, with all the revenue that is generated going into a fund for a local high school senior who plans on attending a Division I-FCS, II or III college.

Ashcraft, who is an offensive tackle from Marshall, Texas, and Podobnik, who is a punter from Frankfort, Ill., are two of three players from the Gulf South Conference selected to the South Team. The other GSC player selected was Ouachita Baptist senior receiver Julius Pruitt.

Both of Tech’s representatives were named First-Team All-GSC selections this past season.

Ashcraft started all 10 games for the Wonder Boys in 2008 at right tackle and averaged a grade of 81 percent on the season. In addition, he led the Wonder Boys with 78 knockdown blocks and had 13 pancake blocks and helped Tech’s offensive line allow just eight sacks in 10 games, which was tied for the second-best total in Division II.

Podobnik played in all 10 games and finished second in the GSC with a 44 yard punting average. In 10 games, Podobnik, who was a unanimous Preseason All-American, punted 24 times for 1,057 yards and had four touchbacks and downed five punts inside the 20-yard line. In addition, he had five punts travel more than 50 yards, including a season-high 60 yard punt against Central Missouri. In his two years at Tech, Podobnik set a new career punting mark with a 44.8 yard average, which bettered the old mark of 39.7 held by former Wonder Boy Tommy Edwards (2000-03). Along with his punting this season, Podobnik was also 30-for-31 on extra point attempts and was 3-for-4 on field goals, including hitting game-winning field goals in back-to-back games against West Alabama and Arkansas-Monticello.

Complete information about the East Coast Bowl can be found on the internet at http://petersburgsports.com.

 -- Tech Athletics --