High school football in December? It’s becoming a tradition in Pasco County.
Some of the county’s top senior high football players will get to experience Friday night lights one final time, at the 2019 Pasco County East-West Classic.
The fifth annual all-star showcase is slated for Dec. 13 at 7 p.m., at Sunlake Field, 3023 Sunlake Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.
The game, organized by the Pasco County Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), features some of the best senior players from 15 county high schools.
Players on the East squad will represent Cypress Creek, Land O’ Lakes, Pasco, Wesley Chapel, Wiregrass Ranch, Zephyrhills, and Zephyrhills Christian schools.
Players on the West squad will represent Anclote, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, Fivay, Gulf, Hudson, Sunlake, Mitchell and River Ridge.
Zephyrhills head coach Nick Carroll will lead the East squad and Fivay head coach Matt Durchik will lead the West. Team practices for the game begin on Dec. 2.
To select the rosters, coaches from every county high school gather in a “war room” and draft the players from every school and every position. After much deliberation, the all-star teams get whittled down to 40 players in the East and 40 players in the West.
Wiregrass Ranch garnered the most selections for either side with 10 picks, followed by Fivay (eight), River Ridge (seven) and Wesley Chapel (seven).
The idea for a countywide all-star football game was spearheaded several years ago by FCA area director Bob Durham, upon the suggestion of local FCA board of directors, who pointed to the success of long-established all-star games in both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
The game has since proven to be a hit among fans, drawing more than 2,000 attendees each year. The East team leads the all-time series 3-1, its lone defeat coming in 2016.
For many players, the showcase provides a chance to perform in front of college recruiters, many of whom attend the game from across the Southeast region.
While it may signal the last football game ever for some, the event also will feature athletes destined for big-time NCAA Division I FBS football, such as Pasco wide receiver Darrion Robinson (Western Kentucky University commit) and Zephyrhills Christian defensive tackle Malik Jones (Florida Atlantic University commit), among others.
In addition to the all-star game, players will be recognized at a banquet where character awards, courageous awards, GPA awards, and various skill awards will be distributed. A ‘Coach of the Year’ also will be named and voted on by county coaches.
An all-star cheerleader team also has been assembled for the showcase and will be announced at a later date.
Tickets are $10 and can be pre-purchased at any participating high school or at the gate at the all-star game. They also are available online at PascoAllStars.eventbrite.com.
For more information, visit PascoAllStarGame.com.
East team
Cypress Creek: Jovanni Anderson, Sebastian Bramonte, Noah Smith, Jalen Warren, Jehlani Warren
Land O’ Lakes: Ethan Forrester
Pasco: Desmin Green, Juan Herrera, Ivory Lopey, Jordan McLaughlin, Rubin Pickett, Darrion Robinson
Wesley Chapel: Isaiah Cole,,Tyson Gillott, Quay Jones, Brendan Maddox, Fletcher Martin, Steven Mira, Jelani Vassell
Wiregrass Ranch: Julian Gonzalez, Robert Gibb, Tyler Hayes, Josh Hood, Connor Lenczden, Isaiah Miller, Nate Miller, Dylan Ridolph, Jonavon Tillis, Keith Walker
Zephyrhills: A.J. Mathis, Bobby Reidenbach, Zion Williams, Demetris Wright
Zephyrhills Christian: Tyler Davis, Myles Francois, Cole Johnson, Malik Jones, Jose Martinez, Nick Whittington
East coaches:
Head coach: Nick Carroll, Zephyrhills
Tony Egan, Wesley Chapel
Anthony Hendrix, Land O’ Lakes
Mike Johnson, Cypress Creek
Mark Kantor, Wiregrass Ranch
Mike Smith, Zephyrhills Christian
Jason Stokes, Pasco
West team
Anclote: Brice Arit, Ricky Hall, Adam Hardy, Breon Jackson, Demetrik Jenkins, Alvin Williams
Bishop McLaughlin: Marcus Berreza
Hudson: William Akossou-Harvey, Dougie Blanton, Brad Kidwell, Ricky Stoffer, Josh Wood
Fivay: Elijah Colon-Gotwalt, William Denmark, Bryan Hair, Kellan Helt, Nicholas Lovino, Kenny Richards, Jaqueze Richardson, Nazavious Williams
Gulf: Kayn Clark,Eddie Petchulis
Sunlake: Anthony Daher, Hunder Fieden, Damian Riewold, Zach Spicer, Cayman Wiseman
Mitchell: Nick Garcia, Rob Graham, Noah Midthun, Johnathan Nelson, Ethan Phelps, Nick Voyer
River Ridge: Ryan Grosso, Travis Hawks, Desmond McBride, Dylan Nichols, Ryan Reiche, Anthony Roussos, Quinton Stedman
West coaches:
Head coach: Matt Durchik, Fivay
Gary Allen, River Ridge
Trey Burdick, Sunlake
Glen Hobbs, Hudson
Dan McLeod, Gulf
Jason Messamore, Anclote
Andy Schmitz, Mitchell
Joe Vaughn, Bishop McLaughlin
The East all-star team leads the series 3-1
2018: East, 29-22
2017: East, 17-14
2016: West, 27-21
2015: East, 14-2
Published November 06, 2019
