MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Juwan Howard should feel right at home at Saturday’s North Central Ohio Football Coaches Association All-Star Classic.
The Madison running back will be operating behind an offensive line that includes a lot of familiar faces.
Howard is one of six Rams scheduled to play for the North in the annual showcase event, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lexington High School. Four of the other five Madison representatives, Alex Hill, Hunter Powers, Justin Klupp and Trevan Allred, were responsible for opening the holes Howard darted through last fall as he rushed for 1,590 yards and 16 touchdowns, helping the Rams reach the playoffs for the second time in three years. The sixth, Logan Pack, would often serve as Howard’s escort from his fullback spot.
“It’s an honor to get selected to play in this game,” said Howard, who scored a touchdown in the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association North South All-Star Classic in April. “It’s fun getting the chance to play with these guys one more time. We’ve been through a lot together.”
For Allred, who was injured in Madison’s playoff loss to Clyde last fall and left the field on crutches, the opportunity to play with his classmates one final time was too good to pass up.
“We’re like a family. It’s a bond you can’t break” Allred said. “Football is a brotherhood and there is no better feeling than being on the football field with these guys one more time.
“We’ve got a good group of guys for sure.”
When North quarterbacks Hunter Bailey of Plymouth and Cole Murtiff of Bucyrus aren’t handing the ball to Howard, they will have the luxury of throwing to a stable of freakishly athletic receivers that includes Tyrell Edmiston of Plymouth and Cody Stine of Shelby. Edmiston is headed to Division II Urbana on a basketball scholarship while Stine will high jump at Akron University.
Edmiston, who was recruited by a handful of Division I football programs, hasn’t ruled out a return to football.
“I’m just going to stick with basketball for right now,” Edmiston said. “Maybe my sophomore year I’ll think about football.”
Are there any concerns about getting injured and potentially jeopardizing his basketball career?
“We’re going to go hard, but the last thing I’m worried about is getting hurt,” Edmiston said. “We’re going to go out and have fun.”
Regardless of the outcome, Saturday’s all-star game is about the experience.
“It will be competitive because they have a lot of talented guys and so do we. It comes down to who executes better,” Allred said. “For me, this is about making a few lasting memories. I wish the (South) the best of luck and I hope we all have fun.”
“For me, this is about making a few lasting memories,” said Trevan Allred.
