5 Highland Lakes players picked for first FCA all-star football game
Recent Burnet High School graduate Austin Moore, who was the quarterback for the Bulldogs last season, was to play in the inaugural Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Classic Football Game on June 10 in Georgetown. Photo by Diana Cox
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
GEORGETOWN — It might be only June, but five recent Highland Lakes graduates are hitting the gridiron for a football game.
Llano’s Cody Miller, Wyatt Baumann and Colton Center, Burnet’s Austin Moore and Marble Falls’ Jacob Metcalf have all committed to play in the inaugural Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Classic Football Game on June 10.
The game, featuring some of the Austin area’s most recognizable high school players, is 7:30 p.m. at Birkelbach Field, 2275 N. Austin Ave. in Georgetown. Admission is $5.
The contest features 80 players representing 42 schools split into Gold and Blue teams. The coaching staffs of each squad drafted the players, who were nominated by their campus head coaches.
Offensive lineman Center, quarterback Moore and receiver Metcalf will be playing on the Gold team, whose offensive coordinator is Marble Falls head coach Matt Green. Mustangs offensive coordinator Mike Birdwell also will be an assistant coach.
Green said he drafted the trio and looks forward to coaching Center and Moore, who played for the Llano and Burnet programs the past four years.
“There are some very good players,” Green said. “For me, it’s really neat. It’s fun to get to know the kids we’ve competed against or read about for the last four years. I’m really excited for our kids. It’s an honor for our coaching staff.”
The biggest challenge? Trying to install the offense in four practices along with terminology not every player will recognize. Still, Green said, this contest is bigger than winning.
“This game is more about the experience of the kids,” he said. “The design is to glorify God. It’ll certainly be competitive on both sides. But 90 percent of it will be vanilla schemes.”
Leading the gold team is Leander Vandegrift head coach Drew Sanders, a former defensive coordinator.
Miller and Bauman will play for the Blue team led by Jason Dean, the Georgetown High School head coach.
FCA already had all-star games in Abilene, Tyler and Waco.
“It’s such a powerful way for us to further influence families and communities,” said FCA Austin Area Assistant Director Steve Vittorini.
The players met June 7 and will have two practices June 8 and 9.
“During the time of teaching Xs and Os, we’ll encourage them and talk to the players about core values of integrity, teamwork, excellence and serving,” Vittorini said.
Former University of Texas great Johnnie Johnson will speak to the players June 8, and Daron Roberts, the founder and director of Sports Leadership and Innovation at the University of Texas, will address the players June 9.
For many of these players, it will be the last time they play in full pads, Vittorini added.
“It’s an exciting way for us to send out our seniors on a great note,” he said. “They’re deserving of the opportunity to play one more time.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com