Area players compete in 35th NCO All-Star football game

BELLVILLE — Area players who recently graduated represented their high schools one last time on the gridiron on Friday at the 35th North Central Ohio Football Coaches Association All-Star Classic at Clear Fork High School's Colt Corral Stadium.The South team held on for a 21-14 win over the North, which included Norwalk's Ethan Phillips and New London's Kenyon Cathey on the team.Nearly all of the scoring game in the first half.The South team got on the scoreboard first with a 26-yard field goal by Dominic Pittman (Galion) on the game's opening drive. The North team responded with a three-yard touchdown run by Ethan Hartley (Ashland) to take a 7-3 lead with 5:40 left in the first quarter.The South team then came back late in the first quarter with a go-ahead TD. Galion quarterback Wilson Frankhouse connected with Carter Andrich (Marion Elgin) for a 23-yard TD pass with 55 seconds left in the quarter for a 10-7 lead.The North team then responded with a scoring drive of its own. Mapleton running back Bryar Ramey scored on a three-yard run with 11:05 left in the first half for a 14-10 lead.Pittman added a second field goal (38 yards) to bring the South to within 14-13 with 6:47 left in the half, then his team got a 62-yard punt return by Ashton Lyon (Clear Fork) to put the ball at the North's 16-yard line.A couple plays later, Tristan Cross (Colonel Crawford) scored on a 14-yard TD run to put the South ahead 19-14, then QB Ethan Snyder (Ontario) added the conversion run for a 21-14 lead with 4:48 left in the half.Neither team scored in the second half, though the North reached the South's 5-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, but turned it over on downs with 7:27 left to play.Phillips is headed to NCAA Division II Ashland University to continue his football career, while Cathey heads to Div. II Walsh University in Canton. Willard's Zarian Stevens and Plymouth's Adler Horne were also on the North roster.