On Thursday, the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) announced the coaching staffs and rosters for the 68th North-South All-Star Football Classic to be played next month.
This year’s contest will feature three Golden Tigers on the North sideline: First-year Russellville head coach Darrell Higgins, who will be the head coach for the North; senior running back Tarus Davis; and senior defensive lineman Sam Wilson.
Higgins, who has led his team to a 10-1 record and a second-round playoff appearance thus far, will lead the North, and Eric Scott, head coach of the Baker High School Hornets, will be head up the South All-Stars.
The head coaches were chosen by the Alabama High School Athletics Directors and Coaches Association Director, J.T. Lawrence.
“Coach Scott and Coach Higgins, along with their staffs, spent countless hours evaluating film prior to making this year's selections,” Lawrence said. “I appreciate the time and effort they have given towards this year's game.”
Higgins, who has coached in the All-Star game before as an assistant, said the All-Star Week experience is a great opportunity for both coaches and players, and he’s excited for this year’s contest.
“It’s a great honor to represent our school and our team with some players put on there,” he said.
“It’s a great experience. You get to meet a lot of new people, and they make it a really big deal for the players. They treat them very well, and they get to meet a lot of guys that are going to play college football,” Higgins added. “It’s a great event.”
Davis and Wilson, two of 37 players on the North roster, will be the 38th and 39th Russellville student-athletes to play in the North-South All-Star Football Classic. This year is the first time multiple Golden Tigers have been selected for the North All-Stars since Austin Bohannon and Cameron DeArman in 2015.
Davis has been a top offensive threat for the Golden Tigers the last two seasons but has really exploded this campaign, more than doubling his rushing yards and more than quadrupling his scoring total from his junior year. Davis has rushed for 2,029 yards this season (fifth-most in the state of Alabama, according to MaxPreps), leads the state with 32 rushing touchdowns, and is currently on a streak of 12 consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing games. In Russellville’s last game, a 42-33 playoff win over Pell City, Davis recorded a career high 290 yards rushing and six touchdowns on the ground. In a recent radio interview, Higgins called Davis “one of the best guys” he’s ever coached.
Wilson, like Davis, has also made massive strides his senior year. The defensive lineman position isn’t as flashy as the running back position, but “Big Sam” Wilson has made his presence known in the trenches this year with 33 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries.
Both players have received offers from college football programs.
For Davis and Wilson, Higgins said, the North-South All-Star Game is one more chance for them to put on the pads as high school athletes, represent their school and show what they can do in front of college coaches.
“For the players it’s getting to play one more week of football, going against elite competition,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for more colleges to see them and how they match up with some of the best players in the state.”
The 68th Annual AHSAA North-South All-Star Football Classic game will be played at Jacksonville State University’s AmFirst Stadium on Friday, December 11. The South All-Stars lead the series 35-30-2.