¡¡¡¡MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Bruising defensive tackle Masengo Kabongo out of Fairfield Prep (CT) has accepted an invitation to play in the second-annual Offense-Defense All-American Bowl to be held January 4, 2008 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla.

    Kabongo, who stands 6-foot-3, 287-pounds, recently made a verbal commitment to attend the University of Maryland after being recruited by several Division 1 schools.

    A native of the Republic of the Congo, Kabongo came to the United States five years ago and began playing football three years ago as a freshman. Securing a 3.5 GPA, Kabongo is fluent in three languages. He is considered by Offense-Defense Player Development (O-DPD.com) to be a Top 10 national prospect at his position.

    Kabongo will be playing for the "Team East" squad at the Offense-Defense All American Bowl, which will be aired live at 8:00pm (EST) on Fox College Sports, and replayed 12 times including Saturday before the Super Bowl. In his junior season at Fairfield Prep, Kabongo recorded 87 tackles and 10 sacks.

    "With the respect I have for (Fairfield Prep) Coach Richie Magdon, and his feelings and first-hand knowledge of Kabongo, it was an easy decision to invite Masengo to the All-American game," said Matt Whittier, President of Offense-Defense Sports. "The character that Masengo exudes is the caliber of person we look for here at Offense-Defense. What Coach Magdon has done instructionally for Masengo in his brief playing career is most impressive. Through our research with our NFL, college and high school evaluators, as well as guidance counselors and community officials, Masengo has elevated from the 298 overall recruit in the nation on O-DPD.com to currently number 82. As long as Masengo maintains the hard work he''s shown through his junior year, we envision him a Top 5 DL in the nation, and we''re proud to have him representing ''Team East''. He''s an overall good kid, has made the most of a unique situation and should continue making great strides in the future."

    At the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl, Kabongo will be Head Coached by eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Cris Carter, who played 15 seasons in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings. Carter is a co-host on HBO''s "Inside the NFL." The Offense-Defense All American Bowl features the top high school seniors throughout the country. It is a week-long experience which includes a high school football Elite camp as well as a full schedule of media, banquet and charity events.

    Offense-Defense Sports operates the Offense-Defense Football Academy (O-D.com), the top-rated summer football academy in the country. It is the official academy of the NFL Coaches Association and the country''s oldest and largest full-contact academy, now in its fourth decade. Presently, there are over 60 O-D academies in operation nation-wide, all being coached by former and current NFL stars and college coaches.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT MATT WHITTIER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OFFENSE-DEFENSE ALL-AMERICAN BOWL 309 BUSH DRIVE MYRTLE BEACH, SC 29579 (843) 903-1888

    Source: Offense-Defense Sports
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