Season-long rivals come together at All-Star Senior Football Classic

MACON, Ga. — Some of the best high school senior football players in Muscogee County had one last chance to display their skills – this time all playing on the same team.

Nineteen players from Columbus led the West team against the East on Saturday in the 2016 All-Star High School Senior Football Classic at the Ed DeFore Sports Complex in Macon. The event was held by the non-profit Georgia Sports Alliance, which also gave scholarships to some of the game participants.

The West, however, fell to the East 14-7 in the contest.

Shaw’s Nick Beason scored the lone touchdown for the West on an 18-yard swing pass, dodging defenders on his way to the end zone.

The do-it-all Beason had a 1,000-yard season for the Raiders, one of the few bright spots on a team that finished 1-9 and led to the resignation of coach Chuck Stamey. Beason had a career game against Harris County on Sept. 8, finishing with 336 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort.

Playing with players who defeated him as opponents this season was fun for Beason, but ever the leader, he lamented his offensive output.

“Honestly, I feel like it could have been better,” Beason said. “I could have done a better job picking players up and keeping them in the game. I was still happy with my one score, but I wish we could have had more.”

Participating from Muscogee County were: U.S. Beasley, R.J. Cummings, Cameron Jessie, Lyndon Johnson, and Romello Kimbrough of Carver; Tylek Cooper, Jakobe Ellerbee, Michael Gentry, Tyler Raleigh, Christian Sellars, and Jason White from Hardaway; Stephen Cooper II, Jaquan Langley, Cincere Sellers, and Javier Turner of Kendrick; Northside’s Eric Gwinn, Nathan Robertson, and Julian Robinson; and Beason from Shaw.

On special teams, Robertson frustrated the East kickoff return team the same way he frustrated those in Region 1-4A all season, kicking the ball into the end zone each time for a touchback. Robertson also got a chance to attempt a 59-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the first half, but the play backfired, with the East fielding the short kick ala the “Kick Six” in the 2013 Iron Bowl and returning it all the way for the first score of the game.

Both teams struggled to mesh offensively. At different times during the first half, the West had a third-and-32, and the East was third-and-45.

Cameron Jessie had the longest play from scrimmage out of all Columbus players, breaking out for a 30-yard run in the last seconds of the first half.

On the lone scoring drive for the West, which started at its own 3-yard line to open the second half, featured a heavy dose of Muscogee County seniors. Jessie had three runs for 13 yards, Jakobe Ellerbee had two rushes for 12 yards, and behind center, Kimbrough broke out on two quarterback draws for 31 yards to keep the drive going.

West head coach Dre’Mail King of Carver put Beason all over the field. The talented athlete played offense, defense, and special teams as a kick returner and gunner on the punt team.

“I love it.” Beason said. “I love being on the field. Being at different positions, that just makes me better. A lot of college coaches tell me that I need to be versatile. I’m just ready to play (collegiately), no matter where I am on the field.”

For King, coaching the West team and five of his former Carver players one last time was special, especially with his dismissal from the team earlier this month despite leading the Tigers to their first playoff victory in three seasons.

“To be able to coach my guys one more time, especially after what happened, means a lot to me. I was so happy about it, and the guys personally expressed to me how much they enjoyed having me coach them and play for me one more time,” King said.

King also coached some of the most talented players in Columbus after playing against them the entire season.

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “There’s a lot of good guys. It’s actually exciting to coach those guys and not have to gameplan against them. It was good to be with some of the names that gave me nightmares when we played against them.”

The game Saturday marked King’s last event as Carver’s head coach. Former assistant Calvin Arnold, who was on King’s staff, was named the new head coach for the Tigers earlier this month.

King was appreciative of the outpouring of support from some members of the Carver community after his dismissal was made public.

“When this all happened, I had never seen so many text messages, emails, and phone calls about how I made these kids better men,” King said. “That’s what I do this for. Of course, we also want to win, and we did that, but to be able to hear parents and the kids and those who trusted in me, that means a lot. People can see that we finished the season strong. Their academics were strong, and their discipline was amazing.”

This story was originally published December 17, 2016 at 10:14 PM with the headline "Season-long rivals come together at All-Star Senior Football Classic."