Patriots Post Three Players For All-Star Game
MADISON- The Bob Jones Patriots have placed three of its players on the Alabama roster for the battle against Mississippi in the 31st annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Game set for Dec. 16 at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS.
The three current seniors for the Patriots selected are linebacker Kade Koler, defensive lineman Gavin Lewis and wide receiver Demontrez Brown. All three have played a major part in the 2017 season where the Patriots finished second in Class 7A Area 4 with a 7-3 record and now prepare for the post-season playoffs.
“It’s an honor to have three players selected to play in the game,” said Kevin Rose, head coach of Bob Jones, of having three players from the school play in the prestigious game for the first time
“For me, this is a great accomplishment, I will compete and do what I can to showcase Madison,” said Brown, 6-2, 203. “This will be a great opportunity for me to compete, play well and show college programs what I can do.”
The Troy commit who also has interest from other schools such as USA, Kennesaw State, Samford and Navy, has had a spectacular season with 41 receptions for 998 yards and 12 TDs through 10 games and recently had three scoring passes of 10, 65 and 58 yards to account for all of the scoring in a 21-nothing whitewashing of Grissom to wrap up the runner-up spot in Area 4. For his 20-game career with the Patriots, Brown has 68 receptions, for 1,785 yards and 18 touchdowns to go along with 40 rushes, 276 yards and five scores via the ground.
“Demontrez has had a great senior year and has been an explosive player for us,” added Rose.
Koler (6-2, 230) leads the team in tackles with 121 and has verbally committed to the University of South Alabama (USA) while having contacts with other schools such as Clemson, Eastern Kentucky, UAB and UT-Chattanooga. “He has had a very good season for us,” said Rose of Koler.
“This is a huge honor to play with the top players in the state and having the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of some of the great players who have played in this All-Star Game is amazing,” said Kohler, who was an All-American lacrosse player in the eighth grade before giving up that sport as a sophomore to concentrate on football. “I like the idea of the high level of game this will be and the chance to receive more opportunities to be more widely recognized.”
Lewis, 6-5, 275, has been a big play mainstay in football in Madison since first playing for the Discovery Panthers as a seventh grader. He has progressed to the point he plays both defensive and offensive line and has had offers from numerous schools across the country. “He has served as a team captain and has been a major contributor for us,” said Rose of Lewis.
“This is big honor to be chosen for the game and I consider it a blessing to be among the 40 players from Alabama chosen,” said Lewis, whose father, Chris Lewis, is one of the program’s assistant coaches. “I’m very excited about the game as I being a possible Div. I player, it’s important to me and this shows others are looking at me.”
Lewis has had numerous offers from a bevy of top programs including Miss State, Ole Miss, Kentucky, UCF, Purdue, Troy and at least a dozen additional schools. The highly recruited Lewis said he was looking to make his verbal announcement just after the season is complete, but is now waiting until after the All-Star Game to make his decision known.
The Alabama All-Stars lead the series with Mississippi 22-8 with the game being played just once in Mississippi in 2015 with Mississippi winning 28-21. The game is now scheduled to alternate each year within the two states. Each team has a 40-player roster.
The game will be televised live over the Raycom Network for TV and the AHSAA Radio Network.
