Football | 12/27/2010 12:11:15 PM

KINGSVILLE, Texas – West Liberty University's record-setting pass-and-catch combo of quarterback Zach Amedro and tight end Ryan Travis have accepted invitations to play in the 2011 Cactus Bowl college all-star game.

The Cactus Bowl, which annually features the top 88 NCAA Division II senior football players from coast to coast, will kick off at 8 p.m. (EST) on Jan. 7, 2011 at the 15,000-seat Javelina Stadium on the Texas A&M-Kingsville campus.

The Cactus Bowl is the oldest and most prestigious of the NCAA Division II postseason all-star games. It was founded in 1994 as the Snow Bowl and enjoyed a 7-year run at the Fargo Dome in Fargo, N.D. before moving to Kingsville in 2001.

    Travis and Amedro are the first West Liberty teammates to earn All-America honors in back-to-back seasons and ended their careers ranked among the most decorated Hilltopper standouts in more than eight decades of football at West Liberty.

    Amedro finished second in the voting for the 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy as NCAA Division II Football Player of the Year for the second straight season this fall, barely being edged out by Central Missouri's Eric Czerniewski in the closest balloting in the history of the award. It was the second consecutive runner-up finish for Amedro, who threw for more yards (14,733) and completed more passes (1,079) with the Hilltoppers than any NCAA Division II quarterback in history.

    The 6-0, 200-pound senior from Moundsville, W.Va. was the two-time West Virginia Conference and Super Region One Offensive Player of the Year after driving a West Liberty offense which led the nation in scoring and total offense in back-to-back seasons – an NCAA Division II first. As a senior, Amedro completed 329-of-485 passes for 4,085 yards (405.8 ypg.) and 38 TDs to rank among the top three nationally in passing yards per game, total offense per game and completions per game. The four-year starter also holds NCAA Division II career records for passing yards per game (334.8), 300-yard passing games (30), 300-yard total offense games (29), consecutive 300-yard passing games (14) and consecutive 300-yard total offense games (14) while ranking No. 2 all-time in total offense (14,598), touchdown passes (126) and total offense per game (331.8).

    Travis, a 6-3, 235-pound senior from Massillon, Ohio, was a consensus first-team All-America tight end for the second consecutive year after leading the nation with 126 catches and an average of 140.2 yards per catch. The only college receiver in the nation – all divisions – to catch at least 10 passes in every game this season, Travis also tied the NCAA Division II single-season record for tight ends with 15 TD catches. The 126 receptions were the second-highest single-season total in NCAA Division II history and his average of 12.6 catches per game also ranks No. 2 all-time in Division II.

    A converted running back, Travis exploded onto the regional and national scene as a junior with 104 catches for 1,250 yards and finished his career with West Liberty school records for catches (285), receiving yards (3,228) and touchdown catches (34). Travis's 285 career catches are No. 5 all-time in NCAA Division II.

    This marks the fourth straight season that the Hilltoppers will be represented in the Cactus Bowl. Four-time All-WVIAC wide receiver/running back Eddie Hills played well in last year's game while three-time NCAA Division II All-America cornerback Darren Banks had an interception in the 2009 Cactus Bowl. Wide receiver Almonzo Banks, who led the nation in receiving in 2007, pulled in a 37-yard touchdown pass in the 2008 all-star game.

    Players are scheduled to arrive in Kingsville on New Year's Day. The following day, Jan. 2, has been set aside as “Pro Day” for physical and written testing by NFL scouts. The teams will practice Monday through Thursday leading up to the game on Friday night. All practices and the game will be open to NFL scouts.

    This year's Cactus Bowl teams will be selected in a draft by the all-star game coaching staffs instead of being broken up by region as has been the case in previous years. This change was made in order to assure a more even talent distribution.

    Proceeds from the game will be donated to the 22 Shriners' Hospitals for Children throughout the United States.