By Terry Boehmker
NKy Tribune sports reporter
The team that scores the most points won’t be the only winners at the Northern Kentucky East-West All-Star Football Game on Thursday at Scott High School. The Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association (NKFCA) will award scholarship money to 20 senior players and make other special presentations during the game.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and all tickets are $8 for football fans to watch many of the senior standouts from last season compete against each other for the last time.
Dan Wagner of Newport Central Catholic is coaching the East team that includes players from Highlands, Holmes, Brossart, Bellevue, Dayton, Dixie Heights, Campbell County, Covington Catholic, Newport and Newport Central Catholic.
Noel Rash of Beechwood is in charge of the West team that’s comprised of players from Beechwood, Lloyd, Ludlow, Scott, Simon Kenton, Ryle, Holy Cross, Boone County, Conner and Cooper.
The East roster includes Newport quarterback Paul Price, who had 1,160 yards rushing and 1,449 yards passing last season. On the defensive side, the East team has Branden Johnson of Dixie Heights, who was named Northern Kentucky’s Defensive Lineman of the Year by the Anthony Munoz Foundation.
The West squad includes Ryle linebacker Ryan Woolf, who won the That’s My Boy Award as the top student-athlete in Northern Kentucky high school football. One of his teammates is Logan Winkler of Simon Kenton, who had more than 1,300 all-purpose yards in receiving, rushing and returns during his senior season.
At halftime of the all-star game, winners of the National Football Federation scholarships and the NKFCA scholarships will be announced. The local coaches association will also present the Chris Vier Courage Award to the family of Craig Mullins, a former Boone County High School football player and college coach who lost his battle with cancer last month.
During the break between the third and fourth quarters, the coaches association will present a Distinguished Service Award to Stan Steidel and a Coaching Excellence Award to Dave Wirth. After the game, the UC Health Players of the Game and the NovaCare Comeback Players of the Year will be announced.
All proceeds from ticket sales for the all-star game go to the NKFCA Scholarship Fund. The players who will receive $500 scholarships during halftime of Thursday’s game at Scott High School are listed here:
Beechwood — Jake Etler, Bellevue — Austin Woodyard. Boone County — Rayvon Foster. Brossart — Justin Schack. Campbell County — Alex Kaufman. Conner — Keaton Hagins. Cooper — Billy Prickett. CovCath — Jacob Roth. Dayton — Logan Brewer. Dixie Heights — Ben Owens.
Highlands — Cashel Coughlan. Holmes — Joshua Farmer. Holy Cross — David Lampke. Lloyd — Brent Chistiansen. Ludlow — Timothy David Deller. NewCath — Brandon Gray. Newport — Brian Burton. Ryle — Ryan Rytlewski. Scott — Ryan Seeney. Simon Kenton — Cole Murray.