Houston County receivers set to face off as opponents
Things will be a little different for Amari Colbert and Eli Watson when it comes to playing in the Middle Georgia All-Star Football Game because the two Houston County wide receivers will be on opposing teams for the first time ever.
Colbert will play for the black team, while Watson will line up for the red team. The game, which features many of the top players in Middle Georgia, is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday at Fort Valley State.
“Oh, that will be definitely different because seriously, we have never played against each other, and I mean we have known each other since we were babies,” said Colbert, a senior who has committed to Western Kentucky. “We have talked this week about who will get the bragging rights after the game and who will have the most yards and stuff like that, and I let him know that I plan on playing both ways to get out there and stop him.
“But really we just want to get out there and have some fun and try to light the scoreboard up.”
Houston County had a powerful offense last year led by Jake Fromm, but Colbert and Watson were both vital parts of the success, combining for 108 catches, 2,193 yards and 28 touchdowns. But the Bears failed to make it to the GHSA Class 6A playoffs, which left a sour taste in Colbert’s mouth.
“I definitely wanted to play one more high school game and try to go out with a win, and that’s the main reason I decided to play,” said Colbert, who also averages 16 points per game for the Bears’ basketball team and had a big game Friday night against Valdosta. “We have had some great practices, and we have two excellent quarterbacks with Bradley Hunnicutt and Antonio Gilbert, so I do expect a lot of scoring.
“We had a great feel for each other before the first practice was even over.”
Watson will be an important part of the red team’s offense.
“I played in one other all-star game, and it seemed like most of the plays were running plays, so the receivers didn’t get to do much, but I feel like this one will be more of a passing game,” said Watson, a senior who has offers from Western Illinois, Cincinnati, Georgia Southern, Troy and Mercer. “I know I am very blessed to have offers like these, but I wanted to play in this game to showcase my talent one more time and just really get back on the football field.
“I think this is a perfect way to end my high school career.”
Middle Georgia Football All-Star Game Rosters
Team Red
No. Name Position School
1 Ulysses Williams WR Monroe
2 Armaun Smith WR FPD
3 Jay Watkins RB Perry
4 Jaquez Jackson OLB Peach County
5 Desean Dinkins OLB/RB Northside
6 Darius Johnson FS Jones County
7 Keinijus King CB Perry
9 Vanden Vicsotka SS/FS Veterans
10 Curt McDonald DB Macon County
11 Jaquez Durham WR/DB Jones County
12 Cody J. Farr QB Covenant
13 Erick Sanchez K/P Rutland
14 Eli Watson WR Houston County
15 Tylan Morton QB Griffin
17 Savion Knowlton QB Westside
18 Jaylen Lowder TE/WR Veterans
21 Darius Bradford RB West Laurens
24 Armand Childs SS Northside
25 Robert Johnson FS FPD
26 Jabari Miller CB Warner Robins
34 Robert C. Ferguson OL/G Covenant
35 Kameron Tate LB Northside
38 Kor’Darius Melton DE Houston County
40 Landon Quarles FB/LB Veterans
46 Mataio Elvine DE/DL West Laurens
55 Ryan Rogers OL Skipstone
57 Keyshawn Prince DT/G Crawford County
65 Desmond King T/NG Rutland
69 Joey Knight OL West Laurens
76 Javius Johnson DT/NG Central
77 Kavontez Farrow OL/DT Bleckley County
78 Tez Raybon T Warner Robins
80 Rasheed Marshall WR Spalding
89 Jam’l Dillard DE Warner Robins
96 Elijah Thompson DT Warner Robins
97 Bobby Kelly DE Warner Robins
99 Dillon Bronstein G Warner Robins
Team Black
No. Name Position School
1 Jaevon West RB/WR Houston County
2 Mark Robinson RB Lee County
3 Michael Bradley CB Warner Robins
4 Amarrian Brown RB/SS Veterans
5 Curtis Harris RB/LB FPD
6 Jermall Lucas DT Veterans
7 Amari Colbert WR Houston County
8 Isaiah Nelson SS Northside
9 Trashon Owens DE Northside
10 Adam Morris TE Crawford County
11 Jarius Hart RB Perry
12 Taykwan Northern DL Northside
13 Bradley Hunnicutt QB Jones County
15 Ethan Mann SS Peach County
16 Antonio Gilbert Jr. QB Peach County
20 Omar Cervantes K/P Peach County
21 Avery Vining CB/WR Howard
22 Andrew Brown CB Houston County
24 Kaiman Smith CB Veterans
26 Tavores Pearson CB Westside
32 Kam Burnett ILB Northside
51 DJ Journey C Houston County
53 Terrynn Lyons DE Northeast
54 Tay Jarrell OLB/DE Mary Persons
55 Nathaniel Freeney DE Twiggs County
57 Fletcher Hooks LB Peach County
61 Josh Herring OL Northside Warner Robins
64 Willie Williams OL/DL Baldwin
69 Solomon Davis G Northeast
70 William Causey Jr. T/DT Northeast
71 Michael Jackson G Warner Robins
72 Jacolbey Davis OL Baldwin
74 Ham Williams C Northside
78 Ashon Hayes DT Taylor County
80 B.J. Fembro WR Northside
84 Tyson Harris WR Lowndes
86 Jhi’Marre Brown WR Perry
90 Antonio Addie Jr. C Crisp County
99 Jeffery Jones DT Twiggs County
This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Houston County receivers set to face off as opponents."