Lehigh's Spadola will try to show what he can do in college all-star game on Saturday

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Lehigh's all-star wide receiver Ryan Spadola will participate in the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game on Saturday in Allen, Texas. According to a release from Lehigh, the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Game features 108 players and matches the top collegiate players originally from Texas or who play college football in Texas against top players from around the nation. Spadola is one of six wide receivers on The Nation squad. He will be working with quarterbacks Matt McGloin (Penn State), Ryan Griffin (Tulane) and Matt Brown (Illinois State). “It is humbling to be invited to this game with many of the top players in the country at their respective positions,” Spadola said. “It’s a great opportunity for me personally. I’m going to try to give it my all and show the scouts that even though I come from a smaller school, I can compete against the top defensive backs and make plays for the offense. It has been an awesome experience so far, and I’m trying to enjoy every moment of it.” Spadola has already made a positive impression in pregame workouts and has been featured in several web stories talking about his chances of joining former Lehigh teammate Will Rackley in the NFL. Spadola will be going to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, just as Rackley, an offensive lineman with Jacksonville, did en route to be taken in the third round (76th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Rackley played in the East-West Shrine Game in January of 2011. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Spadola led the Mountain Hawks in receiving in each of the last three seasons, finishing with 232 catches for 3,611 yards to rank second in school annals in both categories. A three-time first team All-Patriot League selection, Spadola led Lehigh with 57 receptions for 851 yards in 2012, despite missing two games with mononucleosis. As a junior he set school single-season records for receptions (96) and yards (1,614) while adding 11 touchdowns. Spadola was the leading receiver on Lehigh’s Patriot League championship teams in 2010 and 2011. For the last month, Spadola has been preparing for the combine and the game by training at Fit Speed Athletic Performance in Weston, Fla., a facility run by Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall.