Stenta to Play in Oil Bowl
June 10, 2009
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Dustin Stenta, a freshman-to-be football player at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, joined an exclusive group with his invitation to participate in the prestigious Oil Bowl All-Star Football Game. The game, now in its 72nd year, is scheduled for Saturday, June 13 at the 14,000 seat Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas.
The matchup brings some of the top high school players from both the states of Texas and Oklahoma squaring off in a full-scale game. The Texas-Oklahoma format has been featured in 63 of the games with Texas owning a 44-18-1 advantage. Oklahoma won last year's game 17-16.
Stenta is a 6-1, 180 pound quarterback who started two years at Keller Central High School, a northern suburb of Fort Worth, Texas. He threw for more than 4,400 yards and 46 TD's in those two years while rushing for better than 700 yards and scoring six TD's. Stenta is one of four freshman quarterbacks who will be battling for a backup role behind fifth-year senior Steve Day when the Bulldogs begin fall drills in August.
A total of 80 players, 40 from each team, are expected to arrive in Wichita Falls this week and take part of a week-long festivities and practices planned. A high percentage of the participants are signed to play football at the college level, including a number that were recruited by Big XII schools such as the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and Texas Tech.
The primary purpose of the Oil Bowl is to raise money for charities in the two states. Over the years, thousands of dollars have been raised and divided equally with Texas' share to the North Texas Rehabilitation Center of Wichita Falls and Oklahoma's share goes to the Easter Seals.
The Oil Bowl started as a simple summertime West Texas vs. East Texas high school all-star football game back in 1938. Today, the Oil Bowl is one of the most prestigious postseason all-star games in the United States.
Many Oil Bowlers have gone on to be stars in college and professional football. Steve Owens participated in the Oil Bowl and later won a Heisman Trophy. Others--like Jack Mildren, J. C. Watts, and Steve Largent--have made names for themselves not only in football, but also in politics.
The game has also featured some coaching legends, including Grant Teaff (Baylor), Matty Bell (SMU), Blair Cherry (Texas), Dutch Meyer (TCU), and Jess Neely (Rice). Hayden Fry is another coaching legend that played in the Oil Bowl.