By Audrey Carrico
NKyTribune sports reporter
In comeback fashion, the East rallied to defeat the West, 28-17, in the annual St. Elizabeth Heathcare All-Star Series football game on Thursday at Dixie Heights.
Fans from all over Northern Kentucky packed the stadium to see senior athletes from 20 local teams compete alongside one another for one last game.
This year’s East team was coached by Bellevue’s Chad Montgomery as he was at the helm of players from Bellevue, Brossart, Campbell County, Covington Catholic, Dayton, Dixie Heights, Highlands, Newport, Newport Central Catholic and Simon Kenton.
Leading for the West was head coach Ben Nevels of Holmes who was in charge of players from Beechwood, Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Holmes, Holy Cross, Lloyd, Ludlow, Ryle and Scott.
At quarterback, NewCath alumnus and Thomas More commit Kolton Smith led the East. After a slow first half showing, the East rallied with a dominating second half as the team more than doubled its offensive total in comparison to last year’s group who suffered a 20-12 overtime defeat.
For the West, Ryle quarterback Logan Verax led the charge as his team got off to a hot start early on with a couple explosive plays and a touchdown by Ryle running back and Western Michigan commit JR Hays.
A touchdown connection from Smith and Highlands tight end Luke Schneider put the East within striking distance as they trailed just 17-14 at the half.
As the second half rolled along, Smith received familiar help from NewCath wide receiver Demetrick Welch who along with Smith had committed to Thomas More.
Once the East regained their lead, they never looked back. Smith connected with Simon Kenton’s Nathan Kitchens for a deep touchdown pass, his second of the game, which all but sealed the victory.
After the game, Smith was rewarded as the all-star series Most Valuable Player as he threw three touchdowns on the night.
While it was nothing short of a battle on the field, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association took a moments at halftime to recognize 20 players as recipients of a $500 scholarship to use towards their future colleges.
Criteria for the scholarship included commitment to their respective high school program and an outward showcase of character and leadership.
$500 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Beechwood: Xavier Campbell (Thomas More), Bellevue: Curtis Rust (Northern Kentucky), Bishop Brossart: Nate Heck (Cincinnati), Boone County: Shaun Roberts (Lindsey Wilson), Campbell County: Dylan Schulkers (Lindsey Wilson), Conner: Elian Ruzindana (Thomas More), Cooper: Mason Baesel (Georgetown College), CovCath: Ben Reeves (Georgetown College), Dayton: Caleb Crutchfield (Hanover), Dixie Heights: Carter Schroer (Bellarmine), Highlands: Luke Schneider (Kentucky), Holmes: Aaron Johnson (undecided), Holy Cross: Zach Chalfin (Hanover), Lloyd: Avander Abrams (Taylor University), Ludlow: Breckin Ralston ( Northern Kentucky), Newport: Khalil Buck Barber (Ohio Wesleyan), NewCath: Demetrick Welch (Thomas More), Ryle: Logan Verax (undecided), Scott: Andrew Grandstaff (Northern Kentucky), Simon Kenton: Nathan Kitchens (Cincinnati).