Live Oak senior will represent the Western U.S. team in the
annual Down Under Bowl, an elite weeklong tournament in
Australia
MORGAN HILL
During a recruiting trip to Washington State in October, Live Oak senior T.J. Ornduff was invited to take in a football game at Martin Stadium between the Cougars and Oregon, two of his favorite college teams, and talk to coaches from both sides afterward.
Ornduff vividly remembers his conversation with Oregon coach Chip Kelly, whose then-No. 3 ranked Ducks won 43-23 on the way to playing for a BCS National Championship in January.
“I told him, ‘I’m either going to play for you or against you some day,'” Ornduff recalled Tuesday. “And he said, ‘I hope so.'”
Ornduff, 18, isn’t sure where football will ultimately take him in the next few years. This summer, the game will take him to places he has never been.
Ornduff will represent the Western U.S. team at the annual Down Under Bowl in Gold Coast, Australia. The weeklong American football tournament is the largest of its kind held outside the states and invites hundreds of the top high school players from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
Ornduff received an invitation while he was in class months ago. He saw it as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” he could not pass up.
“It’s a blessing to be selected,” Ornduff said. “How many people get to go around the world and play football for their country against the best athletes at the same time?”
Founded in 1988, the Down Under Bowl is one of several Olympic-like tournaments hosted by the Australia-based International Sports Specialists, Inc. Notable Down Under Bowl alumni include Jake Plummer, Ahman Green and Rob Morris of the 2007 Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
This year’s tournament will feature four teams — one from each quadrant of the U.S. — that are coached by current and past college coaches. Players begin practicing together in Australia the first week of June with games starting about three weeks later. The closing ceremony is traditionally held July 4, a day after the consolation and championship games.
Football is only part of the experience. Ornduff said he plans to visit the Great Barrier Reef and skydive with his teammates; some of whom he has met online. The Western U.S. team will also vacation in Hawaii.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Ornduff said. “People who have done it before keep telling me you make friends for life there.”
The Down Under Bowl’s exclusivity is twofold. Only team captains and impact players receive invites, and each has to pay his way.
Ornduff is covering the trip with his life savings, plus donations made via www.DownUnderSports.com. It is a “sound investment,” he said; the tournament is a well-known hot spot for scouts.
Ornduff hopes to attract attention with his play at strong safety. Last season, he led the Acorns with 145 tackles, six sacks and four forced fumbles at outside linebacker and was named second-team all-Mount Hamilton Division. He also made CCSsportsline.com’s all-Central Coast Section first-team defense.
Not wanting to redshirt with an FBS (formerly Division I) program next year, Ornduff will play under coach/defensive coordinator Jim Winkler at West Valley College, where he has a decent chance to start right away.
“I haven’t seen him practice much yet, but we’re very excited he’s joining us,” Winkler said. “With his body type, we think he can be a good fit for us at strong safety.”
Second-year Live Oak defensive coordinator Mike Gemo was certain Ornduff is on the right track toward fulfilling his goal of playing major college football. This spring, Ornduff has improved his strength and speed, adding 15 pounds to his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame while dropping his time in the 40-yard dash to 4.5 seconds.
“If he works on his coverage skills, he could be a phenomenal college safety,” Gemo said. “T.J. has all the heart and desire to do what it takes to get there.”
