There will be a decided Lebo flair to the Kansas 8-Man Division I All-Star Football Game this Saturday in Beloit.
Lebo High School will have three participants in the game — two players and a coach — and all three will represent the East squad.
Cameron Smith and Blake Jones were selected to play in the game, while Lebo head coach Butch Jones will take to the field as an assistant coach.
As a senior this past season, Smith had 30 solo tackles, 96 assisted tackles, five fumble recoveries and one interception on the way to earning Gazette All-Area first-team honors at linebacker. He also rushed 101 times for 957 yards and caught 15 passes for 258 yards, scoring 26 total touchdowns.
As for Blake Jones, he was a Gazette All-Area first-teamer at two positions: quarterback and punter. He had 816 yards passing and 16 touchdowns, completing 59 of 99 attempts. He also punted nine times at an average of 44.7 yards per attempt.
The three from Lebo lead the way for nine total participants from the area that will take part in the 23rd edition of the all-star contest.
Joining Smith and Jones as players will be Waverly’s Dakota Foster and Matt Hevel, Marais des Cygnes Valley’s Chisom Spencer and Madison’s Kaleb Schankie and Ryan Williams.
Also, Marais des Cygnes Valley head coach Trent Douglas will join Butch Jones as an assistant for the East Squad, which will be coached by Hanover’s Matt Heuer.
The headliner of the group might be Spencer, who led the state in rushing this past season with 1,736 yards on 213 carries as a running back, and as such was named The Gazette’s 8-Man Player of the Year.
Waverly’s Foster and Hevel each were Gazette first-team selections at defensive line and wide receiver, respectively, while Schankie earned first-team honors at tight end and Williams garnered an All-Area selection as an offensive lineman.
The 23rd Annual East-West Kansas 8-Man All-Star Football Game will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Trojan Field on North Hersey Avenue in Beloit.