Football players will close out high school careers in East-West All-Star Game on Thursday

By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Thomas “TC” Eads earned varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball at Ludlow High School. The versatile athlete decided to play baseball in college, but he will be back on the football field at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the St. Elizabeth Healthcare East-West All-Star Game at Dixie Heights High School.

Eads enrolled in the pre-engineering program at Berea College and plans to play baseball for the NCAA Division III school. At halftime of Thursday’s game, he’ll receive $500 from the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association to help with his college expenses.

That’s what makes the annual football all-star game something special. Each of the 20 teams in the association selects one player to receive a $500 scholarship check as a reward for his commitment to the football program, character and leadership qualities. All of those players will be honored during halftime of Thursday’s game.

Thomas “TC” Eads

The game itself is worth the $8 admission charge. Many of the top seniors in Northern Kentucky high school football last season will be competing against each other one last time.

The East team’s roster includes players from Bellevue, Brossart, Campbell County, Covington Catholic, Dayton, Dixie Heights, Highlands, Newport, Newport Catholic and Simon Kenton.

They’ll be going up against West team players from Beechwood, Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Holmes, Holy Cross, Lloyd, Ludlow, Ryle and Scott.

Eads played several positions on the Ludlow football team. He finished last season with 308 yards passing, 266 yards rushing and 251 yards receiving on offense to go along with 55 tackles and four pass interceptions on defense. Where he’ll line up for the West all-star team is anybody’s guess.

One of his teammates in Thursday’s game will be Beechwood running back Aiden Justice, the leading rusher, scorer and pass receiver for the Class 1A state champions. The West roster also includes Cooper quarterback Jerod Lonaker, who passed for more than 3,200 yards and 32 touchdowns last season.

The East team has Dixie Heights running back Jose Torres, who will be playing one last game on his home field after rushing for 1,443 yards and 16 touchdowns during his senior season. Torres and Lonaker are also among the players selected to receive a $500 scholarship check at halftime.

Each team in the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association also selected a person involved with their program in the past or present to receive a merit award. Here is a rundown of those award-winners and the scholarship recipients.

PLAYERS RECEIVING $500 SCHOLARSHIPS
Bellevue — Adam Hazeres. Beechwood — Josh Dietz. Brossart — Matthew Blank. Boone County — Chandler Feinauer. Campbell County — Jeremy Lackey. CovCath — Jake Kunkel. Conner — Peyton Van Horn. Cooper — Jerod Lonaker. Dayton — Buddy Lukens. Dixie Heights — Jose Torres. Highlands — Sam Taylor. Holmes — Tahj Campbell. Holy Cross — Xavier Abernathy. Lloyd — Elijah Jouett. Ludlow — Thomas “TC” Eads. Newport — Markel Garland. NewCath — Anthony Lotz. Ryle — Bryce Ashley. Scott — Bobby Brown. Simon Kenton — Sam LeCount.

TEAM MERIT AWARDS
Bellevue — Doug Miller. Beechwood — Bernie Barre. Brossart — Mark Cetrulo. Boone County — Tom Burns. Campbell County — Troy Styer. CovCath — Ted Edgington. Conner — Cindy Fogle. Cooper — Howie Whitaker. Dayton — Bill Burns. Dixie Heights — Bill Vaughn. Highlands — Mark Dill. Holmes — Susan Durstock. Holy Cross — Bill Goller. Lloyd — Chris Johnson. Ludlow — Lisa Brownfield. Newport — Tony Baldwin. NewCath — Steve Hellman. Ryle — Jay Broadus. Scott — Junior Yeary. Simon Kenton —Kelly Vance