Six Wildcats play in all-star football game

Six players from the Anna-Jonesboro Community High School football team competed in the 5th annual Southern Illinois All-Star football game at Lions Field in Carterville Friday, June 7.

“Our kids did well,” said A-J football coach Brett Detering, who was also one of the coaches and main organizers of the game on the Blue team, which lost, 33-30, to the Red team. “We were represented very well.”

Conner Jerolds, Reid Morrison, Damien Chrisp, Garrett Fabec, Dylan Cunningham and Kevin Wright were the graduating seniors from A-J who played on the Blue team in the all-star game.

Jerolds, who quarterbacked on the Blue team, finished 15 of 16 passing for 152 yards and rushing for 76 yards on 21 carries. He also passed for a pair of touchdowns, with one going for 11 yards and the other for 31 yards.

Morrison, a running back/linebacker, scored on a 6-yard run with 1:11 seconds remaining in the game for the Blue team. The score gave the Blue team a brief 28-27 lead. The Red team then rallied to score the go-ahead TD with 20 seconds left in the game.

Herrin’s Jackson Yates, who was named the game’s most valuable player. scored on a 4-yard run to cap a 59-yard drive to earn the win for the Red team.

Jerolds was named as the most valuable offensive player of the game. Morrison was named as the most valuable defensive player.

Morrison’s high school career is not over yet. He will play this Saturday in the Illinois High School Shrine football game at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.