Posted on 05 March 2008 by .
By Alex Kirby
Contributing Writer
The Hoosier Crossroads Conference more than held its own last week as the final roster for the 2008 Grange Insurance North-South All-Star Classic was released by the Indiana Football Coaches Association.
Only the Duneland and MIC Conferences sent more to the game, tying with eight a piece. The HCC sent seven players from six schools.
Here is the complete list:
North
QB- Tim Fogerty- Lafayette Jeff
South
OL- Andrew Black- Westfield
TE- Tyler Hiatt- Noblesville
DT- Nick Sliger- Hamilton Southeastern
ILB- Chris Carlino- Hamilton Southeastern
ILB- Jayme Comer- Brownsburg
S- Trey Smith- Avon
As you can imagine, the coaches spoke very highly of their players who had worked hard to acheive this success.
Dave Shelbourne had plenty of good things to say about Trey Smith, “Trey was an outstanding Free Safety for us. He has great range, intelligence and outstanding tackling ability. He is also an excellent returner for punts and kickoffs.”
Smith’s abilities were not limited to one side of the ball.
“Offensively, Trey played every skilled position for us as needed to help the team. He played some QB in shotgun, was a natural Tailback, played FB with toughness and speed when called on, and moved to WR for a couple of games when we wanted to add some toughness to our offense at that position.”
Shelbourne was most complementary of Smith’s intangibles, “Trey is a natural leader who was well respected by his peers and our coaching staff. He handles pressure well and seemingly thrives on it. He handles criticism well and isn’t afraid to speak up when he felt it was the right thing to do. Trey has an aura about him that seems to make everyone around him play better. A major part of our team’s success was due to Trey’s efforts and attitude on a daily basis.”
He added finally, “It is because of kids like Trey that I love to coach.”
Andrew Black from Westfield made the South squad as an offensive lineman. He was very succesful as a right guard on the Shamrocks’ offensive line this year.
“He is extremely athletic for a big man,” said Westfield coach Bo Belden.
“He is very explosive off of the line of scrimmage. His fast paced level of play and intensity set the tone for the rest of our offensive line and success of our running game.”
The sole player in the North squad played well enough for most of the season to earn the nomination, despite being injured during a week-7 game against Avon at the Dome. Tim Fogery of Lafayette Jefferson High School will attend the University of Dayton in 2008, the alma-mater of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden.
New Lafayette Jeff coach Andy Kennedy simply said, “He was a great leader and competitor. He was a kid who knew
just how to win.”
At the tight end position, the Noblesville Millers had one of the very best in the state this year in Tyler Hiatt. Hiatt was clocked at 4.48 earlier this year in the 40-yard dash.
Former Miller head coach and now the offensive coordinator for Lawrence North, Craig Barr had good things to say about his All-Star performer.
“He was a team leader on the field, in the weightroom and in the school. He is an excellent blocker with great speed.”
When asked about whether Hiatt was a better receiver or blocker, Barr used a flattering comparison.
“He could do both well. I used the comparison of Tyler Hiatt being the Dallas Clark of high school football, as he has great speed and hands.”
Hamilton Southeastern had the distinction of being one of only eight schools to send two players to the game, and the only school in the HCC. Despite the split with Fishers High School, the team maintained alot of talent on defense.
Nick Sliger started at defensive tackle for the Royals, while Chris Carlino played at the middle linebacker spot.
Head coach Scott May spoke highly of both of his players.
‘They both were great leaders and worked hard in practice. That alone made them an important part to our team. Nick was a force in the middle forcing a lot of double teams and causing centers a lot of problems. Chris called our defense in the huddle and helped get everyone lined up, [almost like] a coach on the field. As a inside backer he could cover some ground and made plays all over the field. We will really miss them both!”
May was also proud of how much the young men accomplished in their careers at HSE, which included reaching the state finals in 2005 and then ending Warren Central’s string of seven consecutive sectional titles in 2007.
Nick and Chris again where hard working kids that helped lead our team along with the rest of our senior class. We had a lot of young kids play and all our seniors did a great job of making our team believe we could win. Beating WC was BIG for our program- To beat them the first year in that sectional says a lot about the program, [both the] kids and coaches.”
The other inside linebacker representing the HCC comes from Brownsburg High School. Jayme Comer’s being named to the North-South Game had extra special meaning for his head coach and father, Brett Comer.
“As a head coach I am very proud of his nomination. His success is our success as a program. He will represent Brownsburg very well,” said Comer.
“As his father it does mean a lot. I know how many extra workouts, running sessions, camps, and injuries he has had to go through. Being the ‘coaches son’ is not always an easy hat to wear, but he has dealt with it and continued to play for his [teammates], which is exactly what we ask our kids to do.”
Besides the obvious leadership abilities off the field, Jayme was also an intelligent and gutsy player on the field.
“He was our eraser on defense, when a mistake was made up front or an assignment was missed, Jayme erased it and made the play. Being around our program since his birth Jayme was very familiar with our defensive schemes and therefore brought a great deal of confidence to the field. He knew where people were supposed to be and how all the pieces were supposed to fit together. Finally, having started for two previous seasons and earning the recognition he had (three year all state) Jayme knew he could make a difference no matter who we were playing.”
The Bulldogs went 4-5 in the HCC in 2007 including an overtime win at Hamilton Southeastern 20-17 and a victory over Westside-rival Avon 14-3.
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