CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – It’s All-Star week here in West Virginia.
We have the North vs. South basketball game this Friday night, and the North vs. South football game on Saturday.
Today, we got a chance to meet some of the players on these football All-State rosters.
The North roster has guys from Martinsburg, North Marion, Philip Barbour, Wheeling and Parkersburg.
On the South, we saw some familiar faces.
Three guys from George Washington, two from Capital, and a few more from Winfield, Herbert Hoover and Scott.
The players say it is a bit of a weird transition going from playing against each other to playing for each other, but at the end of the day – they all have the same goal, to beat the North.
They also add it is such an honor to get the opportunity to play in this game.
“We all view it as an honor,” said Winfield fullback Caden Beam. “All of our coaches that have played in it before view it as an honor, so we do the same.”
“It means a lot to me, it was one of my goals since this season stared,” said Van offensive lineman Weston Gunnoe. “So yeah, it means a lot.”
“My dad, he played in this game. He played at Virginia Tech. He had aspirations to go to the NFL. I told him even when I was a kid ‘dad you’re not all that great, I’m gonna be better than you.’ So this is just another step towards that,” said Herbert Hoover linebacker Isaiah Chapman.
“It means a lot,” said Scott wide receiver Jayden Sharps. “Not knowing if I was gonna play football again my sophomore year, even though it’s been my love since I was little. I never really thought I’d get to this moment, to be surrounded by the best players in the state, the best coaches. And like the media being here, it’s really cool. It’s been a fun week so far and I’m excited for Saturday and the rest of the week.”
“It’s awesome, it’s something I’ve looked forward to. My brother played in it five years ago, so it’s like a legacy thing,” said Nicholas County offensive lineman Roman Milam. “First person I told was my brother, and he was excited so it was cool.”
Kickoff for the North vs. South football game is Saturday at noon at South Charleston High School.