MINNEAPOLIS, MN - April 7, 2015 - The Minnesota Chapter of The National Football Foundation is excited to announce the 2015 Scholar Athlete award winners. The nine scholar-athletes reside in communities across the state of Minnesota and will be recognized at the 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors on May 3, 2015 at the Hilton Minneapolis. This year's winners were chosen for their academic excellence, displays of outstanding leadership, and commitment to their communities.

Born in Sierra Leone before eventually moving to the United States in 2003, defensive back Ismael Kamara has put together an impressive high school resume at Harding High School in St. Paul. A standout in football, basketball and track, Kamara earned seven-total All-Saint Paul City Conference selections, as well as an all-metro honorable mention. He was Harding’s defensive MVP four times.

Kamara ranks in the top 10 percent of his class and has been on the A Honor Roll throughout his four years at Harding. He is a National Honor Society member and the vice president of his senior class who plans to study engineering/business at Stanford or North Dakota State.

Kamara, a student ambassador and Harding Knight Crew leader, has helped organize community drives such as Pennies for Patients, Toys for Tots and donations to food shelves. He has also devoted time to Feed My Starving Children and major Harding events like the Hall of Stars ceremony. Ismael’s parents are Mabinty Janneh and Ibrahim Bangura.

Eight other young men will receive recognition as outstanding high school Scholar-Athletes. All of the athletes were nominated by their football coaches and were evaluated on their academic achievement, football ability, performance, leadership, attitude, and service to their community. Other 2015 honorees are Trey Anderson (White Bear Lake Area High School), Tommy Auger (St. Cloud Cathedral High School), Ben Ellefson (Hawley High School), Gunnar Grimsrud (Rochester Mayo High School), Taylor Otterstatter (Mayer Lutheran High School), Ben Shoults (Maple Grove High School), John Solberg (Cambridge-Isanti High School), and Mitchell Stangel (Crosby-Ironton High School).

The 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors, presented by the Minnesota Vikings, will take place Sunday, May 3, 2015 at Hilton Minneapolis. College and professional football Hall of Fame inductees are scheduled to attend the event, and WCCO-TV news personality Frank Vascellaro will return for his eighth year as Master of Ceremonies. The event is open to the public. To register or for additional information about this year’s Minnesota Football Honors, please visit www.minnesotafootballhonors.com. For sponsorship information, please email lindsay@nffmn.org.