The 2014 high school football season has come to an end with seven teams win-

ning GHSA state titles at the Georgia Dome two short weeks ago. Before the state title defenses begin and a new class of seniors takes the Georgia gridiron next season, the 2014 football action will conclude at McEachern High School with the second annual Elite Junior Classic. The second installment of the all-star game will let the biggest stars from the Class of 2016 go head-to-head and give us a glimpse into the season to come. There will be a North and a South team that have been split up by the region the player comes from. Regions 1-4 are placed on the South team and any player that plays on a team that belongs to Regions 5-8 will be on the North Squad.

ARMORY OF TALENT…. The North team will be led by Norcross head coach Keith Maloof who has won the Class AAAAA state title two of the last the last three years. Maloof has won 150 games in his career and he comes from a rich tra-dition of coaching in his family. His father, George Maloof, won a state title at St. Pius, and his brother, Kevin Maloof was the head coach at Dacula from 1991-2010. Maloof will have a very experienced coaching staff working with him. Mill Creek head coach Shannon Jarvis leads the North assistant coaches. Other coaches on the staff include Ron Gartrell (Stephenson), Terry Crowder (Creekview) and Derek Cook (Kell). In the North trenches will be Archer’s Kobe Smith, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound defen-sive tackle committed to N.C. State, will line up in the North trenches. The South Team’s defensive line will be manned by McEach-ern’s Julian Rochester, the No. 1 ranked pros-pect in the state. Rochester, a 6-foot-5.5, 280-pound defensive tackle will represent

McEachern with his Indians’ teammate, running back Sam Jackson. On the South team, Colquitt County wide receiver Kiel Pollard comes off a dra-matic 28-24 victory over Archer in the Class AAAAAA state championship. Pollard hauled in seven receptions for 59 yards in the victory. Defensive back Marquez Callaway has jumped into the top 5 Peach State prospects for the Class of 2016 on several recruiting boards and will represent Warner Robins on the South Team. West Hall standout Tyquan Statham will take snaps at defensive back for the North Team and will face South Team quarterback Logan Byrd and a deep group of receivers. Byrd is a 6-foot-3 signal caller from Veterans and is committed to Virginia Tech. Collins Hill defensive end Tomon Fox and Upson-Lee offensive tackle David Mar-shall skyrocketed in the recruiting ranks this past season and like all the competing play-ers in the Elite Junior Classic, can continue climbing the ranks with a strong showing Monday, Dec. 29 Ware County’s Franklin Stephens is the South’s head coach. Stephens has won two state titles at Tucker and led Lamar Coun-ty to a state title appearance in 2013. Like Maloof, Stephens will have a very talented coaching staff working with him. Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio will be the offen-sive coordinator while Spalding head coach Nick Davis will be the defensive coordina-tor. Other notable coaches on the roster are Tom Fallaw (Cairo) and Welton Coffee (Camden County).

MORE THAN A GAME… With this being the second even Elite Junior Classic, many may think that this is just an all-star game for the best juniors in the state. That’s one of the reasons for the event, but this is also a way for fans to get a look ahead at the 2015 season.

Having Rochester in the Classic will give the state a chance to watch its No. 1 prospect line up against the best competi-tion. Early commits like Byrd (Virginia Tech) give fans of their future schools a chance to see them play before they arrive on campus. The event also gives the players a chance to learn from some of the best coaches in the state with Maloof and Ste-phens. Both coaches have built winning programs and mentored all-state selections and future college stars. The Elite Junior Classic is also a way to celebrate Georgia high school football and our newest class of leaders. The players participating in the Elite Junior Classic have already become leaders on their teams and will continue to be looked up to next season as they try to get to the Georgia Dome in December. The coaches and players are all competitors and bragging rights will be on the line for the North and the South but this is a game that celebrates the talent in our backyard. When a player dresses out for the Elite Junior Classic it is more than another football game. It is a unique opportunity to step on the field and compete in the spot-light with the biggest names in the state. Lastly, it is an opportunity for each player to represent his school and community in the Peach State’s newest postseason tradition. Photo courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

ELITE JUNIOR CLASSIC

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

GEORGIA’S BEST TAKE THE FIELD FOR SECOND ELITE JUNIOR CLASSIC

The Elite Junior Classic Guide was produced and published by Score Publishing, a division of Score Atlan-ta. The publisher is I.J. Rosenberg, Managing Editor is Craig Sager II, Creative Art Director is DJ Galbiati Blalock and Marketing/Partnership Director is Lauren Goldstein. Score is a full-service marketing com-pany and can be reached at 404-256-1572 and SCOREATL.COM. You can also check us out on Facebook (scoreatlantasports) and Twitter (@scoreatlanta).

We would like to thank the Georgia National Guard, Score Atlanta, Sky Zone, McEachern High School, the Atlanta Falcons, EvoShield, Bulldog Sports,

Play On Sports, Adidas, PT Solutions, Next Star Communications, Sports Medicine South, Stars and Strikes, OrthoAdvantage Inc.,

Perry McGuire and John Woods for their support of the 2014 Elite Junior Classic!

NAME POS. SCHOOL

Matt Agnew ...........OL ..................... Dacula

Bryson Armstrong ...LB ............................ Kell

Marcelino Ball .......DB .................... Roswell

Jackson Bardall .....OL .........North Forsyth

Robbie Bell .............OL ............... Mill Creek

Jamir Billings .........RB .................. Norcross

Jakob Brashear ......LB ...................... Dacula

Jarrett Cole ............DB ................. Norcross

Kenny Cooper........DL ..............Sonoraville

Tristan Crowder ....OL ............... Carrollton

Forrest Evans .........OL .....................Walton

Tomon Fox ..............DL .............. Collins Hill

Roury Glanton .......LB ................ Carrollton

Kendrec Grady ......DB ................. Norcross

K.J. Hancock ..........WR ... North Gwinnett

Will Harper ............LB ............ Sandy Creek

Tyrone Hopper ......LB ..................... Roswell

Javon Jackson ........DB ........... Sandy Creek

Sam Letton .............OL .....................Walton

NAME POS. SCHOOL

Keenan Mar ...........DL .......................Grady

Joseph Mancuso ...QB .........Union County

Bryce Morais .........DL ...................Grayson

Stockton McGuire QB ....... Landmark Chr.

Alex Mollette ........OL ..... North Gwinnett

D.J. Owens .............WR .....North Paulding

Tyler Simmons ......WR ... New Manchester

Dylan Singleton.....DB ..................... Archer

Alex Smith..............OL .....................Etowah

Kobe Smith ............DL ..................... Archer

Anthony Stanley ...WR ...Heritage-Conyers

Tyquan Statham ....DB ................West Hall

Chandler Staton ....K/P ............Gainesville

Jarvis Terrell ..........RB ................ Carrollton

Tyler Vernon ..........DL ............... Mill Creek

Isaac Weaver .........OL ....................Lassiter

NAME POSITIONDominick Blaylock ................................. AthSteele Chambers ................................... AthNaiser Currie Sudler ...............................DBJuandrago DJ Turner ...............................DBChris Carter ..............................................DBJohn Thomas ............................................DLGarrison Riley ...........................................DLCaelan Johnson ........................................DLLuis Cano..................................................... KMalik Adams .............................................LBDantez Simpson .......................................LBKameron Brown ........................................LBAlex Contreras ..........................................LBMiles Henderson ......................................LBKareem Hobbs ..........................................LBMason Napper .........................................OLEdward Hernandez ..................................OLHarrison Miller.........................................OL

Quentin Skinner .......................................OLJake Ludwig ..............................................OLParker Brogdon ........................................OLRiley Simonds ...........................................OLBulah Nyang .............................................OLRoss Malmgren ....................................... QBEthan Wright ........................................... QBWilliam Goldring .................................... QBLance Wise ............................................... RBParis Brown ............................................... RBRyland Goede ........................................... TEIsiah Grant .............................................. WREmanual Jenkins .................................... WRZion Hawkins ......................................... WRJordan Cox .............................................. WRJustin Tew ............................................... WR

NAME POSITIONJakori Jones ............................................. QBKyle Terry ................................................. QBJakai Clark .................................................OLKeiondre Jones .........................................OLJustin Eboigbe ..........................................OLChilton Tolliver .........................................OLMicheal Brooks ........................................OLVincent Murphy .......................................OLTucker McCoy ..........................................OLNathaniel Morgan ................................... RBTrevor Smith ............................................. RBGary Benton .............................................. RBKayle Wallace ........................................ WRAJ Brown ................................................. WRDeshon Stoudemire .............................. WRKenyatta Watson ................................... WR

Derrick McLendon ..................................DLDavid Ross ................................................DLBevin Glanton ...........................................DLJawaun White ..........................................DLJaylen McCollough ...................................LBTrevon Salter .............................................LBKenny Edwards .........................................LBJake Wilson ..............................................DBMalik Webb ..............................................DBJustin Foster .............................................DBJaylen Edwards ........................................DBMalik Washington ...................................DBDavid Davis...............................................DBJamorious Griffin .....................................DBOwen Pappoe ........................................ATHPatrick Markwalter ................................... K

NAME POS. SCHOOL

Tarik Adams ..........OL ..................Lowndes

Alex Barbir .............K/P .......South Forsyth

Chris Barnes ..........OL ..............Lee County

Arkeem Byrd ..........RB ......................Jenkins

Michall Carter .......DL ....................Jackson

Allen Cater .............DL ................ Mt. Paran

Devin Cochran ......OL ......................... GAC

Conor Davis ...........QB ....... Blessed Trinity

Pippin Davis ...........LB ........................Lamar

Keenan Dodson ....DL .........Peach County

Tray Eafford ...........WR ............Lee County

De’Andre Gardenhire ....DL ...................Camden

Brodarious Hamm OL .................. Spalding

Devon Henderson DB ..................Marietta

DeAndre Huff ........WR ..................Newton

Sam Jackson ..........RB .............. McEachern

Leondre Kincy .......DL .........Peach County

Nate Lee .................OL ..................Veterans

Antonio Leroy ........LB .....................Monroe

NAME POS. SCHOOL

David Marshall......DL .............. Upson-Lee

Nick Moss ..............LB ..................Thomson

Gabe Nabers .........TE ...................Lowndes

Mack Nash .............TE ....................Camden

Tabarius Peterson ...LB .......................Tucker

Kiel Pollard .............WR ...Colquitt County

Harrison Poole ......DB ...................Camden

L.J. Pope ..................WR .....South Paulding

Jesse Reverio .........DB ........... Cedar Grove

Seth Shuman .........QB ..................Valdosta

D’Ante Smith .........OL ..............Grovetown

Kyron Smith ...........DB .......Macon County

Lorenzo Smothers ...ATH ... Marion County

Zachary Thompson ...OL .. Emanuel Co. Inst.

Robert Tucker ........LB ....B.E.S.T. Academy

Martial Washington ...DB ........ Richmond Hill

Ronald Wilson .......DL ..............Lee County

NORTH TEAM

GEORGIA FORCE FUTURE STARS

NORTH COACHES SOUTH COACHES

SOUTH TEAMELITE JUNIORS

8TH GRADE ALL-STARS

Keith Maloof - Norcross .............................................................Head CoachShannon Jarvis - Mill Creek..................................... Offensive CoordinatorReggie Stancil - Norcross ......................................................Wide ReceiversMike Earwood - Our Lady of Mercy .....................................Offensive LineTerry Crowder - Creekview .....Defensive Coordinator/Defensive BacksRon Gartrell - Stephenson ..................................................... Defensive LineDerek Cook - Kell...........................Linebackers/Administrative Assistant

Franklin Stephens - Ware County .............................................Head CoachDean Fabrizio - Lee County ..................................... Offensive CoordinatorVan Spence - McEacnern ...... Wide Receivers/Administrative AssistantTom Fallaw - Cairo ....................................................................Offensive LineNick Davis - Spalding........................Defensive Coordinator/LinebackersDavid Bruce - Veterans .......................................................... Defensive LineWelton Coffey - Camden County ...................................... Defensive Backs

Head Coach ............................................................... Ross Malmgren Head Coach ................................................................Valister Wilson

YOU SERVE, YOU LEARNIt Really Is That Simple

®

NATIONALGUARD.com

The Army National Guard is the ultimate learning experience. Think about it: We’ll help you pay for

college, train you in a valuable career, and put you in position to serve your community in

times of need. And it is part-time.

Find Out How We Put College Within Reach!For more information, call 1-800-GO-GUARD

Programs and Benefits Subject to Change