Salem Football Star to Attend Coveted 'Top Gun' Camp

At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, Alex Borghetti is far from your average middle school athlete.

The hulking defensive lineman is ready to show what he's made of later this month at a prestigious camp in Dublin, Ohio.

The event, known as the Top Gun Youth Camp, is run by Football University (FBU), which is owned and operated by All American Games, a sports marketing and management firm.

The goal is to allow serious football players, like Borghetti, to engage in an experience both on and off the field, working with dozens of former collegiate and NFL players and coaches.

Scouts will be at the camp, which is organized similar to a combine, keeping a close eye on Borghetti and the nearly 500 other kids in attendance.

"It's a non-contact camp," he said. "We're going through drills. It works basically on the fundamentals."

At 13, Borghetti is admittedly nervous about the opportunity, but the camp is just one step on the lofty path of goals he has already laid out for himself.

Borghetti wants to eventually take part in FBU's high school version of the camp, and perhaps one day take part in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

The event showcases 90 of the best senior high school football players and takes place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Tx.

Beyond high school, Borghetti wants to one day attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who played high school football and served in World War II.

As part of a commitment to the U.S. Army, Borghetti is aware that he will face five years of military duty following his studies.

Despite his size, Borghetti actually hasn't been playing football for long. He started at defensive lineman in sixth grade, playing for the Salem Rams for the last two years.

To head to Ohio, he tried out in November for the FBU team in New Hampshire. After making the team, he attended the FBU regional camp in Westwood, Mass. last weekend. There, he and another New Hampshire player beat out over 100 kids.

His mother Yvonne stressed the educational aspect of the program, which started at the regional camp.

"This camp really talked about – he'd spend half the time on the field and half the time in the classroom with the NFL coaches telling them that their character counts as much as the sport" she said.

With a focus on his academics, Alex is interested in both math and science. His father, who is about 25 pounds smaller than his growing son, is an engineer.

The Top Gun camp will run from July 22 to July 24. Alex will register for the Salem Rams next week, which will be his final season before he heads to Salem High School.

He also plays for the Woodbury Middle School basketball team, and used to play soccer.