ST. GEORGE — Being identified as one of the nation’s top prospects on the offensive line has produced a lot of great experiences for Pine View’s Logan Stott, taking him across the nation to meet and compete with some of the United States’ best players. Last week, Stott’s experience went international as he got to play for Team USA.

Stott, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior guard/center, was one of nine linemen on the under-19 team selected to represent the United States at the World Championships for the International Federation for American Football. Stott’s USA team had to settle for a disappointing Silver Medal after losing in the final to Canada 23-17, but the experience was golden for the young man who will snap the balls for Pine View this fall.

“Initially, I thought ‘Oh, this is just another football thing,'” Stott said. “But when the day came to go, I realized this was something different, something bigger.”

Stott had never spent more than a day or two away from home, so the 12-day trip to southwest Texas was going to be a unique one for Stott, who has verbally committed to play Division I football for the University of Arizona next year.

“I think he got a little homesick,” said Logan’s dad, Dale Stott. “Most of the other trips he’s taken I have come along with him as his coach. We didn’t come this time until the end for the actual games.”

Logan said he was shocked at some of the cultural diversities, even with young men from his own country.

“All but three of us on Team USA were from the East,” he said. “Many of my teammates were from the inner cities. I was surprised at how incredibly poor and uneducated some of them were. A lot of them were not mature enough to handle any adversity and when something bad would happen on the field, they would just crumble. I think that’s what happened in the Gold Medal game.”

Team USA blew through the first two rounds, defeating American Samoa 27-6 and blasting Austria 70-7. But Team Canada, anchored by flashy return man Alexandre Huard, forced some early turnovers to take a 10-0 lead and held on for the 23-17 win. Huard had several big returns in the game, including a 59-yard punt runback for a touchdown.

“I’m disappointed, but I learned a lot and became a better person for my experience there,” Logan Stott said. “I learned a lot about people and what to expect. I was there with teammates I’d never met and coaches I didn’t know. A wise man once said, ‘Be kind to everyone you meet because they may be engaged in a fierce battle.’ I believe that. Kindness works.”

Canada was the No. 2 seed. The third seeded japan team beat No. 5 Austria 7-0 to capture the bronze medal.

The U-19 World Championships were founded and hosted by USA Football and are in their fourth year. USA won Gold the three previous seasons, including last year’s 41-3 win over Canada.

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Copyright 2012 St. George News.