WAHS Player and Coach Represent School, State on Big Stage

On Saturday, Dec. 12 West Ashley High Head Football Coach Robert Marion and senior T’Qele Holmes participated in the North-South All-Star Game at the Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach.
The selection process for determining the North-South All-Star players and coaches is conducted each year by the South Carolina Football Coaches Association and the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association. Players must first be recommended by their high school coach, then the North-South coaching staff carefully reviews film from the current season and select players from the list of nominees.
Marion was selected as the offensive coordinator for the South team while Holmes was selected to play wide receiver. Holmes was one of only 88 players from South Carolina to be selected to participate in the North-South All-Star Game.
Coaches and players spent a week preparing for the annual All-Star game. Players were required to wake up at 6:30 a.m. each day and be on the bus by 7 a.m. to commute to the practice field for the first practice session of the day. Players and coaches ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. Both teams stayed together in the same hotel for the entire week.
The mission of the North-South All-Star Football Game is to create a memorable and rewarding week for the best high school football players and coaches in South Carolina. Part of the experience this year included a community service project. Each player from the South team was paired with their counterpart from the North team and assigned a student from Myrtle Beach Intermediate School. Each pair of players was given a $100 shopping card to spend on clothes and school supplies for their intermediate school student. The school students even got to go with their team buddies on the shopping spree, which took place at the local Target store.
“Overall it was a great experience meeting everyone. The level of competition was very high, but it was fun. My favorite part of the trip was the Target shopping with our little buddy and the food,” said Holmes.