Local

13 Valley area players chosen for North-South Classic All-Star Football Games

By Mike Brown
Thirteen Mahoning Valley players and two coaches were selected for the 81st Ohio North-South Classic at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on April 25.
Thirteen Mahoning Valley players and two coaches were selected for the 81st Ohio North-South Classic at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on April 25. Mahoning Valley Sports

It’s one of the oldest high school all-star football games in the nation.

On Saturday, April 25, the 81st annual Ohio North-South Classic All-Star Football Games will be held at Massillon’s historic Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The contests are sponsored by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association and feature the top graduating senior football players in the Buckeye State. Many of the players chosen for the contest earned All-Ohio status during their prep playing careers.

Once again, the format will feature two contests, including the Division I-III game which highlights the state’s largest schools. That game will kick off at 11 a.m. Then, the Division IV-VII game, which includes Ohio’s medium-sized to smaller schools, will follow 30 minutes after the first contest ends.

The greater Mahoning Valley will be well represented in the all-star games. A total of 13 players, including six in the Division I-III battle and seven in the Division IV-VII contest, have been selected by the OHSFCA for the games. In addition, two area football coaches have been tapped to coach in the contests.

In the Division I-III game, three Austintown Fitch players will be participating for the North team, including offensive linemen Booker Newberry and Noah Bolen and defensive back Davanzo Tate III. Youngstown Chaney will have a pair of representatives in the big school game, including wide receiver Allen Hill Jr. and linebacker Allex Hill. Boardman defensive lineman Abdel Abuenaaj will also be playing.

North Canton Hoover’s Brian Baum has been chosen as head coach of the North team in the Division I-III game, while locally, Canfield head coach Joe Ignazio, who guided the Cardinals to a 10-2 record and the D3 playoffs last season, will serve as an assistant coach for the North.

Meanwhile, seven Mahoning Valley-area gridders have been selected to play in the Division IV-VII game for the North. West Branch, which finished 11-2 and advanced to the second round of the D4 playoffs last fall, had two players chosen for the game, including wide receiver Jeremiah Thomas and defensive lineman Zach Coffee. Cardinal Mooney has a trio participating in running back Ike Lake, offensive lineman Dewey Heard and defensive back Kingston Powell. Poland standout Vito Komara will represent the Bulldogs at wide receiver, while Salem’s Cletis Monroy will suit up at defensive back.

Poland head coach Tom Pavlansky, who led the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record and a Division V playoff qualification last fall, will be the head coach of the North team in the Division IV-VII contest.

Tickets are $10 and that includes both games.

In last year’s games, the North and South split their two contests, with the South winning the Division I-III game, 24-6, and the North capturing the Division IV-VII contest, 10-6.