Football is back.
Well, the high school season is still months away, but fans don’t have to wait that long to see some action on the gridiron.
Nearly 100 of the North State’s top seniors from the recently graduated Class of 2026 will face off in the 49th Annual Lions All-Star Football Game on Saturday, June 20, at Foothill High School.
Each All-Star player has been assigned a team based on school location and size. Players from small schools in the North will face off against players from small schools in the South. Similarly, large school players from the North will face off against large school players from the South.
Foothill head coach Ross Griffith will lead the North’s large school team against Gridley coach Dan Zumwalt. Hamilton’s Aaron Elliot (North) will coach opposite of Biggs’ Brian Harrison (South) in the small school game.
The gates at Foothill High School will open at 4 p.m. with the small school game set to kick off at 5 p.m. and the large school game set for 7:30 p.m. Fans can buy tickets here or pay a $15 entry fee at the gate.
All proceeds will go to support Lake McCumber Children’s Diabetic Camp.
“I told the players in our opening meeting, they’re not just representing themselves, but their families, their schools and their communities,” Griffith said. “How great of a game football is where you can bring different communities together for a common cause for Lake McCumber and the diabetes camp … It’s just a really special moment for everyone.”
Griffith and Team North started practicing on Monday at Simpson College and will continue to prepare for the game throughout the week.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the Lions club and be nominated to be around these (players) and really get to know them,” Griffith said. “We have a really close group of kids and just to get to know these kids from different schools and their personalities, no wonder they’re the leaders on their teams and giving me headaches throughout the season playing (against) them.”
Griffith knows about the Cougars on the roster. Mason Calvert, Carson Anderson, Kingston Coates and Porter Parker are the four Foothill players representing Team North, but Griffith has been impressed with how quickly players from rival schools have adapted to Griffith and his staff’s scheme.
“Tysen (Conoboy) from Lassen has been a blessing for us, (Ashden) Wehbey at quarterback along with Luke (Schager) from Orland have been great,” Griffith said. “The thing that I am just so impressed with is our coaches in our community and how they raised these young boys to be men.”
Griffith is also excited for players like Yreka’s Noah Mannix, Anderson’s Michael Manley and Corning’s Kaleb Flournoy — three All-Section caliber players — to show off their skills in front of a larger audience.
Despite it being an All-Star game, Griffith anticipates the same competitiveness as Friday Night Lights during the fall.
“I know our communities both want to see a high-octane game, so I think it’s going to be a blast at our stadium at 7:30 on Saturday night,” Griffith said. “It’s going to be a hell of a game; I’m super pumped.”
See the All-Star game rosters below.
Large School Team North
Head Coach: Ross Griffith, Foothill
Large School Team South
Head Coach: Dan Zumwalt, Gridley
Small School Team North
Head Coach: Aaron Elliot, Hamilton
Small School Team South
Head Coach: Brian Harrison, Biggs
Rosters are subject to change
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: North State seniors clash in 49th Annual Lions All-Star Football game
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
