- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,199,316
- Reaction score
- 59
FALLS TOWNSHIP — The annual Muskingum Valley-Licking County All-Star football game has long been a blend of players getting a head start for college ball and those preparing for their final games.
In some cases, Most Valuable Players in the game have been those either preparing for military service, working on powerlines or starting small businesses.
In the case of Crooksville standout lineman Jace Thompson, he spent his days leading up to the Friday, June 12 game at Zanesville's John D. Sulberger Memorial Stadium working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and his evenings taking on trap blocks and pass protecting for the final time.
More: Results from the annual Licking County-Muskingum Valley All-Star football game
More: Licking County all-stars simplify approach against Muskingum Valley
More: Different motivations, but common cause spurs Licking County all-stars
It's the type of dichotomy that makes for a unique experience for coaches and players using an expedited approach to try and win a football so many in history have held dear to them.
This year is no different.
There are guys like Thompson, who turned downplaying opportunities to continue his career.
There are future College of Wooster teammates in the receiver tandem of Sheridan's Logan Hupp and Maysville's Landon Iden, and two of their former teammates in linemen Creed Hill (Sheridan) and Connor Young (Maysville), who earned scholarships to Saginaw Valley and Rio Grande, respectively.
Then there is Tri-Valley's Ryan Lamonica, the Scotties' all-time leader in career interceptions and one of the best big-play receiving threats in Muskingum Valley League history. The 6-4, 200-pounder, who also starred in basketball and baseball, will play football at Muskingum.
It has been a diverse experience for coaches and players, who get less than a week to acclimate, though social media like TikTok and X have aided this process in recent years.
"I'm really excited to play with this group of guys," said Young, an All-East District pick in Division IV. "Really excited about this group of offensive linemen. I mean, it's pretty fun to join forces with these guys when all you have done is just play against them all these years and scheme for them. And now we get to play together as a bunch of guys going to play college ball."
Former Zanesville, Rosecrans and Maysville head coach Whit Parks, now 76 and a member of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, spoke to the team earlier in the week at practice, where team unity and cohesion, specifically "the team within the team," was a key topic.
Parks, always one for a good speech in his coaching days, was the head coach of current Muskingum Valley head coach Chris Zemba at Rosecrans in the early 1990s. Zemba is the first Bishops player or coach to be a head coach in the game.
"He's still got it," Zemba said of Parks. "He's 76, but you wouldn't know it."
Zemba, one of the most successful small business owners in Muskingum County, had some words of his own for his future gridders. In that case, it was the importance of representing each other with class — in this game and beyond.
"I told them, No. 1, you're 18, so this is one last time you can hit someone without going to jail," Zemba said. "Your life isn't going to be the same in five years. Life goes in these five-year increments, and it takes 20 years to build a good reputation. It only takes one bad mistake to ruin it. You need to make the most of these next 20 years."
In Hupp and Iden's case, they've been preparing for weeks as future receiving mates who combined for more than 100 catches as seniors. They thrived, even as every defensive coordinator who spliced up HUDL clips knew where the passes were usually headed.
The two 6-footers in the 170-pound range will be roommates as freshmen.
"It's kind of nice to see how we work together," Iden said. "We've hung out almost every day."
That has extended beyond football training. They are molding into modern day Walter Matthaus and Jack Lemmons off the field.
"We've been golfing a little bit," Hupp said with a wry smile.
When asked who has the edge with the sticks, one smirk from Iden in Hupp's direction told the story.
"I don't want to hype myself up or anything, but it's me," Iden proclaimed.
Hupp quickly interjected — "don't worry, when cornhole comes around I carry him."
"Yeah," Iden jabbed back. "But we get the corn from him."
Chalk it up to just another day in the life of a pair of competitors turned friends, a Muskingum-Licking tradition as old as full-sized station wagons, white cassette tapes and spiked mullets.
Consider it a group-wide endeavor.
"We already came out and we were laughing together (the first day of practice), so I think it's a group that is going to be well-put together," Hupp said. "Obviously we have known each forever."
Iden agreed, adding that the growing popularity of Instagram, particularly in athletic circles, has aided in the ice-breaking process of developing relationships.
"That is the part that is so cool, how these guys mesh together," Zemba said. "They been rivals for years and this has put them on the same team, and it has been pretty sweet to watch as a coach."
[email protected]; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Muskingum Valley All-Star football game set for Friday, June 12
Continue reading...
In some cases, Most Valuable Players in the game have been those either preparing for military service, working on powerlines or starting small businesses.
In the case of Crooksville standout lineman Jace Thompson, he spent his days leading up to the Friday, June 12 game at Zanesville's John D. Sulberger Memorial Stadium working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and his evenings taking on trap blocks and pass protecting for the final time.
More: Results from the annual Licking County-Muskingum Valley All-Star football game
More: Licking County all-stars simplify approach against Muskingum Valley
More: Different motivations, but common cause spurs Licking County all-stars
It's the type of dichotomy that makes for a unique experience for coaches and players using an expedited approach to try and win a football so many in history have held dear to them.
This year is no different.
There are guys like Thompson, who turned downplaying opportunities to continue his career.
There are future College of Wooster teammates in the receiver tandem of Sheridan's Logan Hupp and Maysville's Landon Iden, and two of their former teammates in linemen Creed Hill (Sheridan) and Connor Young (Maysville), who earned scholarships to Saginaw Valley and Rio Grande, respectively.
Then there is Tri-Valley's Ryan Lamonica, the Scotties' all-time leader in career interceptions and one of the best big-play receiving threats in Muskingum Valley League history. The 6-4, 200-pounder, who also starred in basketball and baseball, will play football at Muskingum.
It has been a diverse experience for coaches and players, who get less than a week to acclimate, though social media like TikTok and X have aided this process in recent years.
"I'm really excited to play with this group of guys," said Young, an All-East District pick in Division IV. "Really excited about this group of offensive linemen. I mean, it's pretty fun to join forces with these guys when all you have done is just play against them all these years and scheme for them. And now we get to play together as a bunch of guys going to play college ball."
Former Zanesville, Rosecrans and Maysville head coach Whit Parks, now 76 and a member of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, spoke to the team earlier in the week at practice, where team unity and cohesion, specifically "the team within the team," was a key topic.
Parks, always one for a good speech in his coaching days, was the head coach of current Muskingum Valley head coach Chris Zemba at Rosecrans in the early 1990s. Zemba is the first Bishops player or coach to be a head coach in the game.
"He's still got it," Zemba said of Parks. "He's 76, but you wouldn't know it."
Zemba, one of the most successful small business owners in Muskingum County, had some words of his own for his future gridders. In that case, it was the importance of representing each other with class — in this game and beyond.
"I told them, No. 1, you're 18, so this is one last time you can hit someone without going to jail," Zemba said. "Your life isn't going to be the same in five years. Life goes in these five-year increments, and it takes 20 years to build a good reputation. It only takes one bad mistake to ruin it. You need to make the most of these next 20 years."
You must be registered for see images attach
Fighting Scots already at it
In Hupp and Iden's case, they've been preparing for weeks as future receiving mates who combined for more than 100 catches as seniors. They thrived, even as every defensive coordinator who spliced up HUDL clips knew where the passes were usually headed.
The two 6-footers in the 170-pound range will be roommates as freshmen.
"It's kind of nice to see how we work together," Iden said. "We've hung out almost every day."
That has extended beyond football training. They are molding into modern day Walter Matthaus and Jack Lemmons off the field.
"We've been golfing a little bit," Hupp said with a wry smile.
When asked who has the edge with the sticks, one smirk from Iden in Hupp's direction told the story.
"I don't want to hype myself up or anything, but it's me," Iden proclaimed.
Hupp quickly interjected — "don't worry, when cornhole comes around I carry him."
"Yeah," Iden jabbed back. "But we get the corn from him."
Chalk it up to just another day in the life of a pair of competitors turned friends, a Muskingum-Licking tradition as old as full-sized station wagons, white cassette tapes and spiked mullets.
Consider it a group-wide endeavor.
"We already came out and we were laughing together (the first day of practice), so I think it's a group that is going to be well-put together," Hupp said. "Obviously we have known each forever."
Iden agreed, adding that the growing popularity of Instagram, particularly in athletic circles, has aided in the ice-breaking process of developing relationships.
"That is the part that is so cool, how these guys mesh together," Zemba said. "They been rivals for years and this has put them on the same team, and it has been pretty sweet to watch as a coach."
[email protected]; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Muskingum Valley All-Star football game set for Friday, June 12
Continue reading...
