MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – For a goal as ambitious as hosting a high school all-star football game in just five weeks, organizers of the High School Senior Showcase have flown way under the radar.
One of the organizers of the event appeared before the Mobile Council on Tuesday and asked for financial support for a game that is only about five weeks away.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium lists the game on its website. But important details seem to be in flux. Co-founder Jeremy Howard told council members that organizers have yet to meet with the Mobile Sports Authority.
A spokesman for Mayor Sandy Stimpson told FOX10 News that the council meeting was the first time the administration had heard about the event. District 2 Councilman William Carroll said he was also unfamiliar with the event and initially thought it was planned for January 2024.
“Next month. Oh, OK,” he said when told it was January 2023. “Well, that’s the first time I know about it myself.”
The kickoff is scheduled for January 28 at 2:00 p.m., a week before the Senor Bowl. Co-founder Jeremy Howard, speaking before the council on Tuesday, said about 100 high school seniors from Alabama and several other states will compete for either Team Thunder or Team Lightning. He said it was aimed at players who were overshadowed by more heavily recruited teammates.
“Being overshadowed by the starters gives them an opportunity to show all the colleges, ‘Hey, I can play too, and I deserve a chance to be a starter, whether it’s at a D-1 school, D-2 -School, D-3 school, and I deserve a scholarship,'” he said.
Carroll said it would be a big plus if organizers could pull it off.
“I’ve never seen a high school all-star game like this, where for the first time it’s a real high school all-star game with athletes from across the country.”
Howard said he was confident it would be a success and an annual game.
“I understand it’s a bit short notice … but that doesn’t mean we still don’t have an opportunity to make it great for all the students who come to Florida from Texas so they can play and represent our city,” he said.
Charles Lawson, the Mobile Christian School’s defense coordinator, said Howard contacted him about three weeks ago. He said he signed on as a coach for one of the two teams.
“I commend him for putting this together because it’s something that gives all the kids a chance, you know, just not the four stars and five stars, the north-south game, the Mississippi-Alabama game” , he said. “It gives every kid a chance to be seen on this platform where college coaches can watch your talent.”
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