All-Star Game Puts Best Foot Forward State’s Top Football Players Will Compete At Albi June 27
At least one high school football fan will get a kick out of the 33rd East-West All-Star Classic next month.
But event organizers are hoping a lot will with the MVPs of the Greater Spokane League and Frontier League scheduled to compete.
Four players from the GSL and three from the Frontier are among the 70 Class AAA and AA players who will participate in the June 27 game at Albi Stadium.
Mead running back Scott McGlocklin and Shadle Park linebacker Jeff Lafferty, the GSL MVPs will participate, along with All-GSL players Joe Collier, a two-way lineman for Mead and tight end Bryce Stack of Lewis and Clark.
The Frontier League players are defensive MVP Ty Gregorak, a linebacker-quarterback from West Valley, and Pullman’s Forest Hulbert, a wide receiver, and Serign Maron, a linebacker-running back.
The Spokane players attended Wednesday afternoon’s news conference at Albi Stadium, along with Mead’s Mike McLaughlin, the East head coach, and two of his assistants, Larry Stranahan of Mead and Clarence Hough of Ferris.
At halftime, one fan will try to kick a 40-yard field goal, winning $10,000 if successful.
The field-goal contest is sponsored by The Athletic Roundtable, which is also underwriting the game.
“We’re youth-oriented. Our function is to help kids,” ART president Larry Smith said. “We give money to sports, no other charities. This gets a lot of people into Spokane, which we think is important. They can’t have it here without our financial backing. This thing loses money, so we tell them to put it on and whatever the cost overrun is, we’ll take care of it.”
The ART also will award $1,000 to two players in the game who do not have a college athletic scholarship.
The game, which began in 1947, was played at Albi two years ago, ending a 12-year absence. There were no games from 1960 through 1977.
Central Valley coach Rick Giampietri, with help from the Greater Spokane Sports Association, helped get the game back to Spokane two years ago. Giampietri represents the Washington State Coaches Association, which organizes the game.
“Last time, we overloaded with Spokane players, but that was done for a purpose,” Giampietri said. “It’s hard to get four or five players from the same league. As long as we have support, we’ll be able to have the game.”
The current plan calls for a rotation between Everett and Spokane.
The East has won the last four games. Two years ago, the score was 17-14, despite the presence of current University of Washington quarterback Brock Huard on the West roster.
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