USA Football has announced Dennis Thomas of Millville (N.J.) High School will lead a nine-member coaching staff for the U.S. Under-19 National Team this summer at the fourth International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Under-19 World Championship. USA Football, the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, manages U.S. national teams for international competitions. Approximately 70 countries across five continental federations possess a national federation dedicated to the sport.

Following its training camp on the campus of Kean University in Union, N.J., from June 18-24, the U.S. National Team will travel to Harbin, China, for its first of four IFAF Under-19 World Championship games on June 30. The world championship, held every two years, will culminate in a Gold Medal game on July 11.

Thomas and the U.S. team join six other nations competing for the Gold Medal which will be represented in the tournament: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Japan and Mexico.

The U.S. National Team’s first of four games is set for June 30 against Austria. The Americans’ following three games will be played on July 3, July 7 and either July 10 or 11 with opponents and kickoff times determined by game results of the championship’s double-elimination play.

Team USA took home the gold medal in the 2014 IFAF Under-19 World Championship in Kuwait City, Kuwait, defeating Team Canada 40-17. The United States has won two of the three IFAF Under-19 World Championships to date, losing the Gold Medal Game to Canada in 2012. 

“It’s an honor and an experience of a lifetime to represent our country and USA Football within our nation’s favorite sport,” said Thomas. “As defending champions, we expect the other six national teams to bring their best effort – we’re not looking beyond our first game against Austria. As a staff and as a team, we’re excited to start training camp at Kean University and wear our nation’s colors in China.

“This would not be possible without the sustenance of God, my family, the Millville administrators, colleagues, coaches, players, and community. Everyone played a significant role in this accomplishment, from my experience as a player, an assistant coach under Coach Randy Johnson (Salem, N.J.), professional development at various coaching clinics, and my experience as a head coach in Salem and Millville.”

2016 U.S. Under-19 National Team coaching staff:

• Dennis Thomas, head coach, Millville (N.J.)
• Fred Biletnikoff, Jr., offensive coordinator, Livermore Valley Charter Prep (Calif.)
• Matt Hennesy, defensive coordinator, Locust Grove (Okla.)
• Mark Anderson, running backs coach, Salem (N.J.)
• John Emel, wide receivers coach, Penns Grove (N.J.)
• Greg Purdum, offensive line coach, Louisiana (Mo.)
• Lamont Robinson, safeties coach, Millville (N.J.)
• Bill Williams, defensive line coach, Holdenville (Okla.)
• Brandon Younger, cornerbacks coach, Oak Grove (Calif.)

Thomas led his Millville Thunderbolts to a 6-4 record in his first season at the school last year. He arrive at Millville following a successful tenure at Salem (N.J.) High School where he directed the Rams to the state playoffs twice, including a state championship game berth.

An exemption granted by the NCAA allows high school seniors to play for the U.S. National Team and not have their participation count as one of two permitted all-star game appearances.

The 2016 U.S. Under-19 National Team player roster will be released in the following days.

Fred Biletnikoff, Jr., currently serves as the head coach and athletic director for Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School in California and is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the U.S. National Team. He has held coaching positions at the youth, high school, college and professional levels. Before joining Livermore Valley, Biletnikoff spent six seasons as head coach and director of football operations for the Central Valley Coyotes of the Arena2 Football League (AF2).

Since 2011, Matt Hennesy has served as head coach at Locust Grove High School in Oklahoma. Taking over a program that won two games in the three years before his arrival, Locust Grove has gone 42-8 under his leadership. Earlier in 2016, Hennesy was the defensive coordinator for the U.S. Under-17 National Team at the International Bowl in Arlington, Texas. Hennesy is the U.S. defensive coordinator and also will assist in coaching linebackers.

Salem (N.J.) High School Offensive Coordinator Mark Anderson will coach the U.S. running backs. Prior to Salem H.S., Anderson coached quarterbacks, defensive backs and was the passing game coordinator at The Dalton School in New York City (Manhattan). Anderson also serves a Salem’s head track and field coach, where he’s won two state championships.

John Emel is currently the head coach at Penns Grove (N.J.) High School and will handle wide receiver coaching duties for the U.S. Under-19 National Team. Since taking the head coaching post at Penns Grove in 2014, the school has qualified for the state playoffs each of the last two seasons and won the West Jersey Diamond Division in 2015. Emel previously served two years as wide receiver and defensive backs coach at West Deptford (N.J.) High School, helping the program attain a 21-1 record and an appearance in the 2012 New Jersey Group 2 state championship game.

With nearly 40 years of coaching experience, Greg Purdum has coached high school, college and professional indoor football. The U.S. offensive line coach also serves in that position for the St. Charles, Mo.-based River City Raiders of American Indoor Football (AIF) and is the head coach at Louisiana High School in Missouri.

Lamont Robinson, a former linebacker who played for Bob Stoops at the University of Oklahoma, will coach safeties on the U.S. National Team roster. While at Oklahoma he was part of three consecutive Big 12 Championships and played in three BCS Bowl Games. Following his playing career, Robinson became the defensive coordinator at his high school alma mater, Salem (N.J.) High School. He is now in the same role at Millville (N.J.).

After serving the Marines, Bill Williams spent nine years as head coach at Holdenville (Okla.) High School. His aggressive, non-conventional defenses have led him to obtain a coaching record of 77-28, highlighted by a trip to Oklahoma’s state championship semi-finals in 2013. Williams will coach the U.S. defensive line.

Brandon Younger, the defensive secondary coach at San Jose (Calif.) Oak Grove High School, will coach U.S. National Team cornerbacks. Younger has served as a U.S. National Team assistant coach for the past three years, working with defensive backs at USA Football Regional Development Camps, National Development Games and International Bowls. 

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