Football: ZHS, MVL products enjoy North-South All-Star experience
MASSILLON — There was plenty of Blue Devil flavor at the Ohio North-South All-Star Football Classic on Saturday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Former Zanesville head coach Chad Grandstaff was South head coach in the Division I-III game, while his longtime offensive line coach, Chad Jackson, was an assistant. The games are hosted annually by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association.
Two of their best players, All-Ohioans Julian Jackson and Kanye Evans, were part of the South team. Even the ball boys were Blue Devils — Grandstaff's son, Titan, and Jackson's son, Creed.
While it didn't show on the scoreboard in a 39-18 loss, the All-Star experience was a quality one. Both players came away happy with their decisions to play.
"It was great," Julian Jackson said. "The level of competition, the character of guys, how disciplined, how explosive, how strong they were really made for a good stepping stone on my way to Youngstown (State). To get to see the best and compete against the best, no matter if it was going to be the first one to get down to breakfast or the first one to bed, it didn’t matter because it was all competition. It was really fun."
Julian, Chad's son, followed in his father's footsteps as a player in the game. Chad, a Zanesville grad, played in the 1990 game before playing four years at Muskingum. He now serves as a regional director for the OHSFCA, while Grandstaff is president.
Julian called being a part of the tradition and playing a final time for his father and Grandstaff "special," adding that he owes a debt of gratitude for Grandstaff allowing him to be part of the program and helping him develop into an adult.
"It's a special thing to be able to play in this game in 1990 and then to have your son come play in it, it's just amazing to have a father-son connection like that," Chad Jackson said. "It's something he and I talked about as a small kid. He's like 'dad, I want to play in the North-South All-Star Game.' I said, 'well, you have to work.' He put the work in to be here.
"It's special to have my family here and to have Coach Grandstaff be the head coach, as long as I have been with him," Chad Jackson said. "We're representing the Blue Devils. It's all about that and representing Muskingum County."
Grandstaff was happy to be a part of it. Saturday marked the fourth time he has coached in the game.
"I didn't finish the way we wanted to but the kids this week were unbelievable," Grandstaff said. "They came in from Day 1 with great attitudes and tremendous attitudes, and great work ethic. When you've got kids like that, it's a great 3 1/2 days. You appreciate that. And they played hard in the game.
"The relationships that they have built with the coaches, and the coaches have built with the players, those are long-lasting," Grandstaff added. "There will be some people who played on this field who will be in the NFL someday, so it's kind of cool that way, too."
Julian played the entire game at center, while the 6-3, 215-pound Evans, down some 35 pounds and another inch taller since football season, played several snaps at defensive end as a last-minute replacement. He served mostly as a rusher, an area in which he thrived with the Blue Devils.
He showed a lethal spin move with his newfound quickness, something he said worked in practice during the week. His sturdy 253-pound frame was built more for power at Zanesville.
He said his game experience exceeded his expectations.
"I thought I'd get in and only be on (special teams)," Evans said. "I didn't expect so many offensive reps. I didn't expect to play on defense at all, but Coach Grandstaff threw me in there and I tried my best."
Evans and Julian Jackson will also participate in the Muskingum Valley-Licking County All-Star Game later this summer. Evans, who was arguably the Blue Devils' best player as a senior, remains undecided on his future.
He's looking forward to playing some of his close friends in the game. With Zanesville's current ties to the Licking County League there will be friends and adversaries on both sides.
It was much different in this game, reputed as one of the best in-state All-Star games in the country. One of his teammates was St. Clairsville lineman Avery Henry, who signed with Ohio State.
"It was a good experience," Evans said. "If anybody else in the future generations gets picked, I would definitely want to come to meet some new people because this is different talent that you've never seen. It humbles you, but it also makes you want to work harder."
Grandstaff said both players fit in well with their competition.
"They didn't miss a beat," Grandstaff said. "Both of them made nice plays in the game. Kanye at end was working those guys over and Julian was doing his thing on the O-line. It was nice just being around goal-oriented, purpose-driven kids that come in like professionals and don't have bad attitudes. It's unbelievable what that does and it was nice to be around some of that."
Hopkins, Samson play key roles in D-IV-VII game
Two of the Muskingum Valley League's most physical players were in key roles during the South's 13-0 shutout in the second game of the day, featuring players from the state's bottom four divisions.
Maysville lineman Gauge Samson, just weeks off of a state runner-up finish in wrestling, played the entire game at left guard in a game dominated mostly by defense until the South notched a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns off passes from Ridgewood's Gabe Tingle and West Jefferson's Tyler Buescher.
Across the ball, West Muskingum linebacker Harley Hopkins rarely left the field, showing strong pursuit and tackling against run plays with the ability to run down the field in coverage.
He and Newark Catholic's Elijah Wallace, signed with Indiana Wesleyan, and Garaway's Sam Page saw the majority of the linebacker snaps.
Among Hopkins' highlights was a jarring tackle-for-loss in the first half on Leavittsburg Labrae's Aidan Stephens, who is signed with Yale.
"It was awesome," Hopkins said. "It was a lot more fun than I anticipated it to be. I knew it was going to be serious, but there was a lot of fun times with the boys. knew I had to prove something coming from West. It was a great time."
He quickly made acquaintances with Ridgewood's standout trio of Tingle, defensive back Dalton Patterson and All-Ohio lineman Kadin Bradford. Tingle was a four-time All-Ohio selection at quarterback.
"I saw them all on Storied Rivals (Sports Media) and they're all cool guys," Hopkins said. "Just hanging out with them in the hotel and basically the whole week, it was a lot of fun."
Hopkins and Samson will also play in the Muskingum-Licking game this summer. Samson, a Marshall signee, is also bidding to chase a state berth in the shot put.
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This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville, MVL players enjoy North-South All-Star football experience
