Local News

Playing in Hawaii

TVHS grad picked for semi-pro all-star game

HONOLULU -- Former Tygarts Valley High School football standout Willie Walden has been selected to play in a semi-pro all-star game in Hawaii on Saturday.

Walden, who graduated from TVHS in 2020, will suit up for the USA Football International All Stars in the fourth annual Hall of Fame International Hawaiian Bowl Saturday. Walden's team will compete against the MLFR National All Stars at Aloha Stadium.

Walden was a four-year starter during his high school career with the Bulldogs, where he was a multi-time All-State and All-Conference selection. Since graduating high school, Walden has played semi-pro football and recently completed a season as a member of the Pittsburgh Outlaws, a pro developmental arena football team.

After finishing his arena football season, Walden returned to the semi-pro football ranks and finished out the season with the Steel City Bobcats, another team based out of Pittsburgh.

Walden's desire to continue to compete on the gridiron is evident by the hours he's logged traveling back and forth from West Virginia to Pittsburgh to suit up for his respective teams.

"I started off playing semi-pro football in West Virginia and one of the guys I played with was on the Outlaws, so he called me one day and asked me if I wanted to come up and play in Pittsburgh," Walden said. "I thought at first there was no way I was making that drive. But I decided to take the chance, went up there and met all the guys and it felt like family."

Walden, whose primary position is middle linebacker, said he would drive three hours to Pittsburgh and then three hours back home for practices and games during the weekend. Walden recently signed with the Pennsylvania Union, a professional arena team based in Harrisonburg that competes in the American Indoor Football League.

"When I start playing for the Union it's going to be 4 1/2 hour trips," Walden said. "So I'm going to have 9 1/2 hours of travel then three hours of practice, so those are going to be 12-hour days… Plus the jump from the Outlaws to the Union is going to be a night-and-day difference. I know we have one guy who played for the Baltimore Ravens and one for the Chicago Bears in the NFL. And all the other teams in the league have multiple players who played the NFL as well. The league is also full of top-tier college guys as well. Many of the guys' goal in the Union's league is to get to the NFL."

Walden, who currently works for United Parcel Service, where he has loaded trucks for the past five years, admitted that his ultimate goal and dream is to someday suit up for an NFL team as well.

"About two months ago I signed a contract with an NFL agent and he has been in talks with some UFL (United Football League) teams to get me in the UFL," Walden said. "Hopefully I can get a workout or a tryout with one of the UFL teams and from there I can work toward getting a shot at the NFL. That's the goal."

Until that opportunity happens, Walden will continue to play for his new team (Pennsylvania Union) and showcase his talents in this weekend's All-Star clash in Hawaii.

"I'm pumped to play this weekend, I can't wait," Walden said. "I was shocked when I was selected to play this weekend and it was something I really didn't expect. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the recognition you can get from this game is tremendous."