E-W’s McCartney, Wafer to play in all-star football game

After a two-year stay in Everett, the annual Class 3A/4A East-West All-Star Football Game is headed back to Spokane.

The 2008 game, set to kickoff at 7 p.m. on July 3 at Central Valley Stadium, features many of the state’s best seniors. Rosters were released on March 19 and 11 competitors from Western Conference teams are on the West squad.

Three Wesco teams are represented by two players apiece: Edmonds-Woodway (quarterback/defensive back Kyle McCartney and wide receiver/defensive back Antoinne Wafer), Oak Harbor (wide receiver/defensive back Rodrick Rumble and defensive end/tight end Jake Rouser) and Snohomish (running back/linebacker Derek Jones and offensive lineman/linebacker Nick Oglesby).

Tom Bainter of Bothell, who has guided the Cougars to two consecutive 4A championship games, is the West team head coach. He will be assisted by Tom Tri of Lake Stevens, among others.

Two of Bainter’s Bothell players made the West roster: linebacker Cory Burk and quarterback/placekicker John Hekker.

Gonzaga Prep’s Dave Carson is the East team head coach. Alex Shaw, a running back/linebacker from Lewis &Clark, is on the East roster. Shaw helped lead Lewis &Clark to the 4A state title in December.

Non-local standouts on the West team include University of Washington recruits Johri Fogerson (O’Dea) and Demitrius Bronson (Kentwood), and Washington State University-bound Cory Mackay (Eastlake).

Because of a scheduling quirk, this year’s East-West game will be held on a Thursday. Player selection chairman Paul Lawrence said he can’t recall the game being played on anything other than a Friday or Saturday before.

Organizers didn’t want the East-West game to conflict with Spokane’s well-known Hoopfest basketball tournament (June 28-29) and they wanted to avoid cutting into East-West players’ Fourth of July weekend, Lawrence said.

Beginning in 2009 the East-West game will likely return to Everett for another two-year stint, Lawrence said.