ALA-MISS ALL-STARS: River Region players dot rosters

Trinity’s Sewell McKee (5) was named to the Alabama All-Star team for the game to be played on Dec. 16 in Mobile. (File photo)

By TIM GAYLE

Defensive standouts LJ Green of Catholic and Seawell McKee of Trinity are among the 37 players announced for the South squad on Tuesday as part of the 64th annual North-South all-star football game in Mobile on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.

In addition to Green and McKee, other River Region players include defensive back Dorian Jackson and kicker Logan Weighall of Wetumpka, Prattville defensive tackle Carmelo Smith, Jeff Davis tailback Donald Harris and Stanhope Elmore tight end Colton Walls.

“It’s a great honor,” McKee said. “I was really surprised (at the selection). It was very humbling.”

 McKee is the second Trinity player selected to the game in the last three years. In 2020, linebacker Walton Cherry was selected to the game and finished as the South’s second leading tackler with seven tackles.

“I talked to Walton Cherry, who played in it, and he said he made a lot of great friends and a lot of connections there,” McKee said. “And I’d definitely like to represent the school well.”

McKee alternates between the secondary and outside linebacker for the Wildcats and likely will play a similar role in the all-star game, according to Trinity coach Granger Shook, one of the assistants for the South squad.

“The fact that he started for us for three years and has played so many positions, he’s going to be utility player in the North-South all-star game,” Shook said. “And the fact that Walton Cherry did so well in the game really allowed guys like Seawell to have a little traction when we nominate those guys. It also speaks to the caliber of talent in the Capital City Conference right now and the caliber of ball that’s being played.” 

Catholic’s Green is one of a handful of players who have been selected to play in more than one all-star sport. The football game has been part of Alabama All-Stars Sports Week since 1997 except for 2004 and 2005 when the game was played in December in Troy and starting in 2020 when the game moved to December on a permanent basis.

Green played in the all-star basketball game in July as a junior and will play in the football game as a senior cornerback.

“I was happy to be selected,” Green said. “I get to represent my school on a statewide scale.”

Green is the third Catholic player selected for the North-South game since it changed to a December format in 2020. Former wide receiver Myles Butler, now at Central Arkansas, played in the 2020 game and former defensive end Javen Augustus, now at North Alabama, played in the 2021 contest.

“I saw it when Myles made it two years ago and ‘Twin’ made it last year,” Green said. “That was the first time I saw it. I want to just go out there and have fun, maybe catch me a ‘pick.’ 

Green, who also plays basketball for the Knights, was talked into playing football two years ago and recently committed to play football at Georgia Tech.

“I’m really proud of LJ, a guy that played high-level basketball and made the transition to football,” Catholic coach Kirk Johnson said. “He proved he could play football. We’re just happy to have kids like him that can put our program up there with some of these other high-level programs.”

The annual North-South football game was played as part of the summer coach’s clinic at the University of Alabama from 1948 to 1983. In 1984, the last year of the all-star game, it was split into two games at Auburn University and Alabama based on classification. The game resumed at Cramton Bowl in 1997 as part of Alabama All-Stars Sports Week, moving to Troy in 2004 and 2005 and to Huntsville in 2007-10. It returned to a renovated Cramton Bowl in 2011 and remained there until 2020 when the game was moved to South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium.

2022 NORTH-SOUTH ALL-STAR FOOTBALL ROSTERS

SOUTH ALL-STAR TEAM ROSTER

Name School Pos. Ht. Wt.

Kendarrius Shephard Highland Home ATH 6'3 195

Christopher Bracy St. Paul's DB 6'2 182

Johntavious Green Catholic DB 6'1 170

DJ Jackson Baldwin County DB 5'10 180

Dorian Jackson Wetumpka DB 6'2 195

Will James Theodore DB 6'1 190

Chris Pearson Orange Beach DB 6'1 180

Jamaroun Satterwhite Loachapoka DB 6'1 150

AJ Prim Foley DE 6'2 260

Michael Towner Vigor DE 6'2 245

Brenton Williams Opelika DE 6'3 240

Garrison Holly Jackson DE/LB 5'11 240

Jordan Bolden Theodore DT 6'0 280

Bryston Dixon Leroy DT 6'3 290

Carmelo Smith Prattville DT 6'2 305

Yorel Williams Spanish Fort DT 6'5 295

Logan Weighall Wetumpka K 6'0 185

Tae Gay Opelika LB 6'0 208

Coleman Granberry Auburn LB 6'1 185

Seawall McKee Trinity LB 5'11 190

Willis Anderson Blount OL 6'5 315

Keyon Cox Central-Phenix City OL 6'5 270

Eric Patrick Auburn OL 5'11 225

Cam Schultz Foley OL 6'5 260

Patrick Screws Eufaula OL 6'6 300

Brody Stewart Andalusia OL 6'3 310

Camron Vickers Benjamin Russell OL 6'4 251

Caden Creel Fairhope QB 5'11 195

Clyde Pittman Auburn QB 6'0 190

Cole Blaylock UMS-Wright RB 6'0 188

Donald Harris Jeff Davis RB 5'10 180

Brayden Jenkins Theodore RB 5'9 175

Colton Walls Stanhope Elmore TE 6'1 210

Anthony Eager McGill-Toolen WR 6'1 170

Jake Godfrey  Spanish Fort WR 5'9 165

Mykel Johnson Enterprise WR 5'9 170

Tre Kimmerlin Enterprise WR 6'3 185

SOUTH COACHES

Head Coach -- Erik Speakman, Opelika

Assistant Coaches -- Ben Blackmon, Enterprise; Jerrel Jernigan, Eufaula; Deric Scott, Foley; Chase Smith, Spanish Fort; Granger Shook, Trinity; Matt Geohagan, Bibb County

NORTH ALL-STAR TEAM ROSTER

Player School Pos. Ht. Wt.

Kamron Sandlin   Anniston Ath 6'4" 220

Steven Jones Gadsden City DB 6'0 188

Jamal Mayers James Clemens DB 5'10" 170

Jamal Miles Pelham DB 6'0" 165

Antonio Ross Alexandria DB 6'2" 185

Braxton Urquhart Hoover DB 6'2" 180

Christian Byrd Pickens County DE / LB 6'1" 240

Braylon Chatman Hewitt-Trussville DE / LB 6'1" 215

Christian Douglas Leeds DE / LB 6'1" 195

Aiden Hall Pleasant Grove DE / LB 6'3" 200

Mikel Hines Hueytown DE / LB 6'4" 235

Malachi Jones Sparkman DE / LB 5'10" 210

Trent Wright Mountain Brook DE / LB 5'10" 200

Brian Alston Spain Park DL 6'3" 260

Will Caneer Arab DL 6'3" 220

Roderick Knight Hewitt-Trussville DL 6'2" 285

JaMon Smith Clay-Chalkville DL 5'11" 285

Emmanuel Waller Oak Mountain DL 6'4" 250

Greyson Simpson Ashville K 5'11" 150

AJ Franklin Hoover OL 6'3" 240

Ayden Gibson Aliceville OL 6'3" 290

JD Hall Arab OL 6'2" 260

Anthony Miles Ramsay OL 6'4" 260

Mason Myers Moody OL 6'5" 265

Isaac  Rue Muscle Shoals OL 6'5" 270

Aaron Wood Gadsden City OL 6'6" 285

Riley Harmon Oak Grove P 5'10" 155

Jack Hayes Piedmont QB 6'0" 190

Giovanni Lopez James Clemens QB 6'1" 215

Troy Bruce Jr. Center Point RB 5'9" 170

Jamarcus Goodmon Dora RB 6'0" 190

Terrence Robinson Buckhorn RB 6'1" 190

Toryion Spears Northridge RB 6'0" 205

Clyde Curry Gadsden City TE / WR 6'3" 160

Omareon Finch Etowah TE / WR 6'2" 175

Izayah Fletcher Hartselle TE / WR 6'2" 175

Jalen Jones Ramsay TE / WR 5'10" 170

NORTH COACHES

Head Coach -- Michael Williams, Pickens County

Assistant Coaches -- Jeremy Sullivan, Boaz; Matt Patterson, Buckhorn; Matt Glover, Etowah; Rico Jackson, Tarrant; Shea Monroe, Ashville; Chavis Williams, Dora