Everyone, I suppose, has some sort of a bucket list when it comes to things they'd like to do in their lifetime.
One of those, for football players across the Mountain State, is to get invited to the annual North-South All-Star Football Classic.
On Tuesday, I had the chance to head to Institute and the campus of West Virginia State University to take part in my first North-South media day.
While it was obvious the players were having quite a good time, one still can sense the fact that losing isn't really going to be an option when the game gets under way at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Charleston.
The North Bears are well represented by area gridiron players. In fact, the North roster has nearly a third of its players from the Mid-Ohio Valley. Also, the South Cardinals feature Clay County running back/defensive back Nathan Mullins.
"I told the kids the first day it's an honor to coach them," said North head coach Tony Filberto, who is Oak Glen's head man. "We do feel a little pressure to win this football game.
"What an honor and pleasure for myself to be here. This is a first class operation and they feed us very well."
That is something I can vouch for after being able to eat lunch before the media hoopla began. The players are definitely getting good meals.
The only player from Parkersburg participating for the Bears is Jeremy Bell, who always will be remembered in my mind for probably the best pick I've ever seen on the basketball court. That came in a sectional semifinal victory versus Capital late in the winter when Big Red point guard Devin Hoehn called for a screen on Cougar R.J. Symns.
Aside from Bell, fans who decide to take the game in will get to watch the likes of Wirt County's Dalton Brindo, Ritchie County's Darrenger Goff, Magnolia's Jayson Keller, Ravenswood's Jeremy Lawrence, Williamstown's Aaron Jones as well as former Roane County teammates Dylan Cottrell and Briar Nichols along with ex-Wahama backfield mates Isaac Lee and Anthony Grimm.
Of the 10 players from the area who were selected to play for the Bears, only Lawrence was on the 19th annual Battle Against Cystic Fibrosis Football Classic squad for West Virginia, which fell 48-0 to Ohio last Friday at Don Drumm Stadium.
Myself and fellow sports scribe Steve Hemmelgarn divided up the players and did interviews for future stories this week.
Although I didn't actually interview Bell, I did ask him about the screen in the Capital game. He wanted to point out that it was Hoehn who called for it.
Bell, though, didn't go without getting ribbed by a few of his North Bears teammates, especially Cottrell, who overheard the conversation and added that Bell had been "rim-faced" twice thus far while playing hoops down there.
Even though everyone is having a lot of fun right now, expect each of the players to leave it all on the line come Saturday night.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
