Dec. 19, 2008

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State senior defensive lineman Dan Skuta and senior offensive tackle Sam Allen have been selected to play in the 2009 Valero Cactus Bowl it was announced by the Cactus Bowl selection committee. Skuta and Allen are among eight total GLIAC players that were selected to play in the DII All-Star game.

The 2009 Valero Cactus Bowl will be played Friday, Jan. 9, at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Texas. The game will kickoff at 7:35 p.m. (EST). Formerly known as the Snow Bowl and then the Whataburger Cactus Bowl, the contest features the top NCAA-II football seniors in the nation and is played in an East/West Team format. A selection committee picked the top players from among the best seniors in NCAA Division II football for participation in the game.

Skuta (6-3, 265, Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth) was a consensus All-America selection in 2008 and is a finalist for the 2008 Gene Upshaw Award. The 2008 GLIAC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year, Skuta leads the GLIAC and ranks fourth in the nation in QB sacks with 10.5 (-68). Skuta, a 2007 and 2008 First-Team All-GLIAC honoree, tallied 41 total tackles (17 solo/24 assisted), four pass breakups, 11 QB hurries, recovered a fumble, forced a fumble and blocked one kick on the year. In addition, Skuta has a QB sack in 10-of-12 games played and a tackle for loss in 11-of-12 games played. Dan moved into first on the all-time GVSU sacks list and third on the all-time DII list in career QB sacks (33.5).

Allen (6-5, 303, Lansing, Mich./Sexton) was a Daktronics, Inc. Second-Team All-American and a First-Team All-GLIAC selection .Allen was the anchor of one of the most balanced offensive lines in the country. A 2008 First-Team All-GLIAC honoree, he was a key figure in a Laker offense that averaged 228.4 yards per game rushing and 200.6 yards per game passing. In addition, Allen is part of an offensive line that has yielded just 13 QB sacks and averaged 429.1 yards per game and 6.9 yards per play.

The Cactus Bowl began as the Snow Bowl in 1994 at the Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota. After its initial seven-year run, the game moved to Kingsville in January 2001. The game was played in Kingsville for six years, took a hiatus in 2007 and returned to Javelina Stadium in 2008. There have been over 100 players drafted into the NFL who played in the Cactus Bowl. All net profits from the Cactus Bowl are donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children.Grand Valley State senior defensive lineman, Dan Skuta, and senior offensive lineman, Sam Allen, have been selected to play in the 2009 Cactus Bowl it was announced by Cactus Bowl selection committee.