Local football star Fred Covington selected to Bret Cooper All-American game

More than 30,000 young football players were hoping to get an invitation to the Bret Cooper Junior Academic All-American Bowl.

Only a few dozen did, including a talented young man named Fred Covington, who starred this season at Paso Del Norte as a quarterback and kick returner.

Covington, who will soon be making headlines at El Dorado High School, will travel to Dallas at the end of this month to compete in the game and even watch the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.

“It means a lot to me because I get to represent my city and my home school, which is PDN, and my high school, El Dorado High School,” he said.

Fred and his family are raising money to fund the trip to Dallas later this month to play in the game. To help their cause, you can donate to their GoFundMe campaign.

So how does a player become one of just a handful selected the game?

“Really stand out in the classroom,” said Paso Del Norte football coach Ray Bautista. “If they stand out in the classroom, and prove themselves in the classroom, and then also being a leader on the field, that’s the best advice I can give them.”

But even when the game is over, there’s still plenty to look forward to, including a bright future with his teammates at the high school level.

“We get to build more trust than we already have. And we get to keep playing for the rest of our high school and college years maybe. So, it builds friendship and brotherhood,” said Covington.