Jack Ryan and Ethan Silber, standout athletes at Mission Bay High School, have been chosen to represent the United States as part of the American Football Worldwide Elite Team. Ryan, a 5 feet 8 inches tall, 155-pound safety/slot receiver/holder, and Silber, a 5 feet 8 inches tall, 160-pound quarterback/receiver/cornerback, will be two of 30 players on the high school senior select team squad.
The American Football Worldwide Elite Team will travel to Italy for a week of educational touring, serving as ambassadors for American football and culminating the week by participating in a rare and special international game against a national 20U American football team representing Italy. The game will take place at Vigorelli Stadium, in Milan, on Saturday, April 8.
American Football Worldwide’s Elite Team builds its roster from scouting, recommendations, and nominations provided by high school coaches. The roster has representation from every region of the United States and this year will have student-athletes from 13 different states and the District of Columbia.
Ryan spent four years on the varsity for the Buccaneers and head coach Greg Tate. During his career, he was a two-way starter at receiver and defensive back. He caught 60 passes for 1,008 yards with 16 touchdowns on offense and had 130 tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble on defense. He was a first-team all-conference wide receiver in the City League and in 2021 Mission Bay won the conference championship and made it to the CIF finals. He was selected to play in the 2022 SDNFL all-star game.
Ryan excelled in the classroom as well, winning academic merit awards as a freshman, sophomore, and junior and art awards as a freshman and a junior.
He was also awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award as a freshman.
“I love playing football and am excited to share this great sport with the world,” said Ryan on his selection to the AFW Elite Team.
Silber had an outstanding career for the Buccaneers. During his career, he recorded 30 passing touchdowns and more than 1,000 rushing yards. He was first-team all-conference twice in the City League and was also named his team’s Most Valuable Player. He excelled in the classroom as well with a 4.00 cumulative grade point average.
Ryan and Silber were part of a resurgence in football for the Buccaneers as the program was 2-18 in the two years before they got to Mission Bay. During their final two campaigns, they helped the team to an 18-8 mark.
Team members and staff will all gather for the first time in Rome on Sunday, April 2. During the week the team will practice daily, typically in the early morning, with the remainder of the day invested in educational touring of many of the historical and cultural highlights of Italy. Dozens of parents and family members will also join the tour party for a highly memorable experience in one of the world’s most historically fascinating countries.
The team and tour party will travel from Rome in central Italy to the tip of Lake Como just north of Milan. During the week, the players will tour many of the historical icons of Italy including the Roman Coliseum and Forum, the piazzas of Rome, Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica, Sienna, Florence, Cinque Terra, Lake Como, and Milan.
This game will be the 10th contest between AFW Elite and American football teams in Europe. In March of 2013 and 2014, AFW Elite traveled to France for a similar educational and cultural tour defeating the French national 19U team on two occasions. From 2015 through 2019, AFW Elite Team accepted invitations from the Italian Federation of American Football earning victories each year over their Italian national 19U team.
In 2017 and 2018 American Football Worldwide also fielded two teams, including a second Elite Team that toured Ireland and competed with the Irish National 20U team. Those games were historical in that they were the first and only contests by 20U Irish players against competition from outside of Ireland.
“Observing these young men grow from the education that international travel uniquely provides will once again be the most rewarding aspect of the tour,” said AFW president Jim Barnes. “Each day will hold special life-expanding experiences for these young men all of whom demonstrate that they possess a grander vision for their future. In so many respects, this is a tremendous experience for a student to have before going on to the collegiate level.”
Intermixed with the immense educational value of the trip, these student-athletes will improve as football players. The team will look to come together in one week’s time to learn new terminology and football schemes as well as put together a formidable game plan for their Italian hosts.
“Meeting one another for the first time and installing a well-coordinated game plan in all phases of football in less than a week will be a significant challenge,” said Barnes, who is also the head coach. “However, from the scouting and research we have done our staff believes there is excellent talent on this roster and we are very excited about the potential for this team. To culminate their week playing a game of American football at the international level representing the USA will be an unforgettable thrill.”
