Batavia's Quinn Urwiler, St. Charles North's Ben Furtney named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl

ST. CHARLES – A pair of top linebackers in the Kane County Chronicle coverage area will get one more chance to show why they're among the best recruits in the country.

Batavia linebacker and Kane County Chronicle football Player of the Year Quinn Urwiler and St. Charles North all-state selection, Ben Furtney are both going to represent in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.

Urwiler's selection was announced on Twitter on Thursday morning, while Furtney's selection was announced in September.

The Blue-Grey All-American Bowl is a highly prestigious opportunity for the top football recruits in the country.

Per the letters sent to Urwiler and Furtney, they are each one of the 55 senior recruits on their teams that were selected from over 6,750 players who competed at B-G's regional or super combines in 2019. Or, they were nominated by the B-G staff.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (2014) represents a recent high-profile alumni. Mahomes earned the 2018 NFL Most Valuable Player award.

A total of four B-G All-American Bowl games will be played, the first coming up Dec. 16 at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Furtney is listed with the East Team for the Dec. 16 contest.

That game will be broadcast via the Impact Football Network. Kickoff is at Noon CST.

Urwiler, A North Dakota recruit, will play at a later date, Jan. 13, as a part of the Blue team. That game is being played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons. Kickoff at 6 p.m. (EST) via ESPN3

"It was a great honor to be noticeably selected to compete with other great athletes at a national scale," Furtney said. "I am very excited. It should be a very fun weekend getting to go out and finish my high school football career on a high note."

Furtney, a three-time all-conference selection, finished a three-year varsity career with a 58 total tackles, eight for loss as a senior. The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder also had three passes defensed and one sack.

Urwiler finished his senior season with 77 tackles, 15 for loss and 4.5 sacks. As a running back, Urwiler had 557 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Urwiler also had a three-year varsity career.

"I get [to] show people what I'm made of," Urwiler said. "And, get to play the best high schoolers in the country, which will make me a better athlete."

Former Burlington Central offensive lineman James Estes was chosen to play in the B-G All-American Bowl last season.

Each team is coached by a staff comprised of extensive history and playing service time in the NFL. The East team is head coached by George Teague, a 1993 first round draft selection by the Green Bay Packers. Teague played in the NFL for nine seasons before finishing his playing career with the Dallas Cowboys in 2001.

The West team is head coached by Mark McMillian, a 1992 10th round draft selection of the Philadelphia Eagles. McMillian played for eight seasons.

"I want to thank my coaches and teammates for being the best second family to me," Urwiler said. "Also, [I] can't wait to play for North Dakota."