Football season is right around the corner, and some of the best seniors from the season of 2025 are set to suit up this June to represent their schools. The annual WCHS-TV/Fox Appalachia North-South All-Star Football Classic is set to be played Saturday, June 20, at South Charleston High School. The kickoff is scheduled for noon.The annual event, which is sponsored and conducted by the West Virginia Schools Coaches Association, will be aired live on WCHS-TV’s sister station The Nest along with its Youtube and Facebook channels. The showdown is labeled as the station’s GoMart Friday Night Rivals North-South Edition.
The two head coaches for this year’s Classic – Philip Barbour’s Nick Mayle for the North and Herbert Hoover’s Joey Fields for the South – have announced their teams.
This marks the 50th anniversary since the game was brought back to life. The first North-South Classic, under the guidance of the old West Virginia Coaches Association and Charleston Lions Club, was staged at Charleston’s Laidley Field (now University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field) in July of 1976.
Each team is permitted to have a 40-man roster. At the moment, the North has 33 while the South is at the maximum number. The North squad will feature standouts from 20 different high schools. The South team, meanwhile, will have representation from 26 different schools.
Training camp will once again be on the campus of West Virginia State University in Institute. The players will assemble on Sunday, June 14, to begin practicing twice daily prior to the showdown inside Black Eagles Stadium.
Throughout the week, the players, who will reside on the State campus for the week, will enjoy evening activities that will include going to the movies, swimming, bowling and a Charleston Dirty Birds baseball game.
On the eve of Saturday’s kickoff, the players will be treated to the annual North-South All-Star Football Classic Hall of Fame dinner at South Charleston’s Little Creek Park Country Club.
Here is a look at the rosters, which are subject to change
2026 North Bears
0-Jordan Kovacs DL Martinsburg
1-Levi Price WR/DB East Hardy
2-Takiem Drake RB/LB Jefferson
3-Braden Ponceroff WR/DB Clay-Battelle
4-Tarron Boda RB/LB Fairmont Senior
5-Andrew Loy WR/DB Hampshire
6-Xavier Wells WR/DB John Marshall
7-Jack Byrer QB/DL University
8-Toby Michael QB/LB North Marion
9-Brayden Boggs RB/LB Grafton
10-Garrett Brabham RB/LB Roane County
11-Tylan Parsons WR/LB Parkersburg
12-Dawson Tenney QB Buckhannon-Upshur
13-A.J. Bart QB Lincoln
14-Owen Rotruck RB/DB Keyser
15-Frankie Urias TE/DL Martinsburg
16-Marcus Reed RB/DB Brooke
18-Landon Eversole QB/DB Hampshire
19-Tony Allen, Jr. WR/DB Jefferson
21-Patrick Webster WR/DB Philip Barbour
24-Camren Togans WR/DB Washington
30-Blake Sanders RB/LB Spring Mills
40-Harrison Hall DL Bridgeport
41-Grayson Lambka RB/LB Keyser
51-Josh Holden OL/DL North Marion
52-Kane Whipp OL/DL Martinsburg
54-Kameron Hebrock OL/DL Oak Glen
56-Aidan Phillips OL/DL Philip Barbour
59-Jaevin Papalili OL/DL Fairmont Senior
60-Ryder Hastings OL/DL University
71-Noah West OL/DL Bridgeport
74-Malachi Cross OL/DL Philip Barbour
75-Kevin Shanke OL/DL Spring Mills
2026 South Cardinals
0-A.J. Thomas RB/DB Beckley Woodrow Wilson1-Blake Fisher RB/DB Herbert Hoover2-Nathan Harris RB/DB Buffalo3-Nathan Suttle RB/DB Greenbrier East
4-Mykell Taylor LB Herbert Hoover
5-Jalei Burdette WR/DB Nitro
6-Camdyn Harris RB/DB Capital
7-Devin Sanders RB/DB Westside
8-Kaden Stone RB/DB Greenbrier East
9-Trey Lester RB/DB Sherman*
9-Reece Lilly QB St. Albans*
10-Jamare Smith DB George Washington
11-Trey Ward WR/DB Chapmanville
12-Hunter Rutan QB Buffalo
13-Malcolm Brown RB/DB South Charleston
14-Cayden Sharps WR/DB Scott
15-Kaiden Simms RB/DB Meadow Bridge
18-Jeremy Collins LB Chapmanville
22-Preston Kovach RB/LB Chapmanville
24-Damian Johnson DB Capital*
24-Christian Robinson DB Capital*
25-Peyton Mounts RB/DB PikeView
26-Kaiden Helmer RB/DB Shady Spring
28-Kaleb Mullins TE/LB Man
33-Riley Gilmore WR/DB Riverside
44-Landon Crane LB Princeton
45-Ezekiel Lewis RB/LB Spring Valley
50-Mason Martin OL/DL Nitro
51-Mighty Lopez OL/DL Herbert Hoover
54-Ryan Gandee OL/DL Herbert Hoover
58-Alijah Hicks OL/DL Wahama
62-Connor Acord OL/DL Liberty-Raleigh
64-Jaxon Swiney OL/DL Logan
70-Rob Ball OL/DL Winfield
71-Ja’Marques Manns OL/DL Beckley Woodrow Wilson
76-Hayden Heath OL/DL Ravenswood
77-Issac Reeden OL/DL Independence
78-Patrick Morris OL/DL Clay County
80-Colton Dunbar WR/DB Greenbrier West
84-Luke Shafer WR/DB Nitro*-DUPLICATE NUMBERS (new numbers will be assigned at a later date with updates being made to roster)
