Local players shine in All-Star high school football bowl games

MADISON – Post-season of high school football has been busy for an elite few in the Madison area with play in top-notch All-Star Games from both areas of the game, players and coaches.

James Clemens head coach Juan Johnson led the contingent of representatives from Madison on Dec. 13. He was chosen to be among the coaching staff for the Alabama All-Stars for the 39th annual Alabama- Mississippi All-Star Football Classic in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Meanwhile, Romeo Washington started and played the majority of the contest at middle linebacker representing the winning South team in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl held in Orlando, Fla. The Bob Jones senior will also play in a second bonanza post-season game as he was selected to compete in the Tennessee-Alabama High School Bowl Game Jan. 9-11 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Arlington, Texas and home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium was the destination for Blake Battle as he played in the East vs. West Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. The Second-Team All-State selection at linebacker from Sparkman High said he played well on special teams, as well as, his duties at linebacker.

“I wanted to strike fear in the North team,” said Washington (LB, 6-0, 210, Sr.), who did just that having five tackles and one pass deflection among his 40 plays for the South team which crushed the North 44-14. He even had what was regarded as the hardest hit of the game as he simply destroyed a running back on a three-yard loss.

“The TV commentator for the game said I came through like a heat-seeking missile,” said the Honorable Mention All-State selection Washington. “I felt like I was right at home as I called defensive plays and carried a strong attitude, was team vocalist and the willingness to do what I needed to help my team.”

“Walking into AT&T Stadium was a great experience as leading into the locker room, you pass along the wall of the Cowboys’ Hall of Fame, which was awesome as you see the many players you looked up to,” said the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Battle, who played for the East team which lost to the West 16-7 in the game.

From his outside linebacker position, the senior Senator played in seven drives over the first and second halves where he posted six tackles. “But, the highlight of my game was a forced fumble which we recovered,” said Battle. “I punched out the ball while I made a tackle on a running back. I did well on special teams, too. I would rate my overall play a 7-out-of-10.”

The Alabama All-Stars rolled past Mississippi 40-10 to claim the 39th Alabama-Mississippi matchup. The victory was the sixth in-a-row for the Alabama squad boosting the state’s dominance in the series to a 28-11 lead. Alabama’s coaching staff included Johnson, who was selected offensive coordinator by Alabama’s head coach Kirk Johnson of Benjamin Russell High. The visiting Alabama scattered the big plays around many players who provided strong play. Alabama led 20-3 at halftime.

“As a coaching staff, we met in Montgomery and put together a plan that featured a lot of different great coaches as we came up with what we thought was a good game plan,” said Johnson, who completed his first season as head coach of the Jets of James Clemens who were 5-6 on the season and a first-round loss in the playoffs. “Upon arriving in Hattiesburg, it was a first-class experience for everyone. We had a few practices and at first chose zone schemes, then we went with gap schemes the next day before we settled on zone schemes for our offense.”

The Alabama defense played lights out allowing their offense more chances to perform. Johnson added, “We ran the ball well. We went into the game with about 40 plays to choose from, but we only called nine different plays. Our execution was very good.”

The All-Stars from Alabama stayed at nearby Shelby Military Base and were treated to the military aspect and that seemed to be an inspiration to the visiting squad.

“On our first night of practices we arrived at the scheduled high school and found a soccer match going on,” said Johnson. “We ended up not starting until 9:30 and finished at midnight. I’m grateful for the opportunity as our program at James Clemens was put on the state spotlight.”

“I’m proud to say I prayed pregame to keep me healthy and asked God to make sure I took care of business to the best of my ability,” said Washington. “I thanked God for my playing Class 7A football for my four years.”

For Battle, he was among elite players from across the nation and felt he withstood the possible intimidation. He said, “Playing at that level of competition allowed me to be more focused on football and not just hitting. The level of talent on both teams was amazing. Each player knew what they were doing. I felt I belonged out there. I kept up with the competition.”