Wardlow up to the task at Shrine Bowl
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - With the 69th annual Shrine Bowl events underway and practices starting on Monday morning, the Rivals250 athlete O.C. Wardlow is preparing to get things underway in an all-star game that high school kids in the Carolinas dream of playing in.
After watching his cousin, Antonio Wardlow, play in the game last year before eventually signing with Tennessee, the younger Wardlow is looking to follow in the older family member's footsteps. However, the only difference is the college destination with it being Virginia for the younger sibling.
Advertisement
"I really just liked the coaching staff a lot at Virginia," Wardlow said about making his August decision for the Cavaliers. "They seemed like they treated me like I was already going there. I liked the campus and the team mix. It was just a really nice place and a place I wanted to be."
Other teams like Virginia Tech and North Carolina State have not stopped sending mail to the Wardlow household, but the No. 6 rated player in the state of North Carolina says he's solid for UVa.
With the 5-foot-11, 180-pound player ready for this week's competition both in the practices and in Saturday's game, the four-star Wardlow is just ready to follow the dream.
"It's an honor to even be selected to this," Wardlow said. "Of course everybody wants to come out here and win, but I want to have fun at the same time. I think that in this event, that's just as important. I've been wanting to make the team since watching this game and it finally happened for me."
Wardlow is rated as the No. 17 athlete in the nation.