Wheeling, W. Va. - With football programs across the country making preparations for spring ball, some of the top seniors are showcasing their talents as they try to make it to the next level. The All-Star Bowl season continues on Sunday, January 19th, with the playing of Dream Bowl XIII in Little Elm, Texas, with kick-off at noon. The Wheeling University Football team will be well represented at the event, with linebacker Jack Parry, wide receiver Chris Charles, and offensive linemen Peter Schmitt and Justin Nelson all set to play in the game.
January 19th will be the 13th edition of the Dream Bowl, and the first season that the Bowl game is NFL approved. That means that NFL scouts are permitted to attend the event and scout talent for the upcoming 2025 NFL draft. The bowl invites some of the top players from all levels of NAIA and the NCAA to compete in front of scouts from the NFL, CFL, AFL, and other professional football leagues. Over the previous 12 seasons, The Dream Bowl has sent around 200 players to the professional ranks, including around 40% of those players having spent some time in the NFL. Last season, the Cardinals are being represented for the second time in three seasons, and are sending their biggest class to the bowl game in program history.
Leading the group of participants is Linebacker Jack Parry, who is coming off a season in which he was named First Team All-MEC. Parry led the MEC with 90.0 tackles during the season, 43 solo and 47 assisted, while racking up 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the season. Parry finished with double digit tackles on three different occasions during the year, with his career-best coming in a 16-tackle effort against West Virginia State. While known mostly for his tackling efforts, Parry showed that he can drop back in pass coverage as well, finishing with five pass breakups on the season while adding one fumble recovery. Parry set the Cardinal's single-season tackles record, breaking the old mark of 81 held by former Cardinal Richard White III. Parry will be participating in his first bowl game of the offseason as he looks to perform in front of pro scouts.
After appearing at the Dream Bowl as a member of the West Liberty Hilltoppers last season, Chris Charles will be making his second trip to the Dream Bowl with the Cardinals in 2025. Charles was the Cardinal's second leading receiver, finishing with 40 catches for 586 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 14.65 yards per catch during the season and added a 53.27 yards per game average. The graduate student finished with one 100-yard performance on the season, pulling in four catches for 104 yards against Fairmont State on September 28th. Charles was a part of some big moments for the Cardinals throughout the season, including pulling in the game-winning touchdown against Frostburg State on a regionally televised game.
The other two participants for the Cardinals are a pair of offensive linemen in Peter Schmitt and Justin Nelson. The duo has served as starting tackles for the Cardinals during each of the last two seasons, with Schmitt handling right tackle and Nelson handling left tackle. Schmitt will be participating in his second bowl game of the offseason, after playing in the FCS Senior Bowl in early December, while Nelson will be playing in his first bowl game of the off-season. The duo helped anchor a Cardinal offensive line that cleared the way for 1,959 rushing yards during the season, including three 200+ yard rushing performances. They helped clear the way for a season-high 273 yards on the ground against Concord, falling just eight yards shy of the team single-game rushing record.
The 13th edition of the Dream Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 19th, in Little Elm, Texas. The Wheeling Athletics department wishes the best of luck to its four representatives.
