Suffolk natives ready for All-Star game

Published 10:29 pm Thursday, December 19, 2019

The 757 football All-Star game will be played this Saturday and will feature some notable Suffolk senior football players.

The high school football season recently wrapped up, and postseason All-Star exhibition games and competitions are now here. The annual 757 All-Star game will be played Saturday afternoon at Christopher Newport University, and it will feature a wealth of Suffolk talent on the Southside team playing against the Peninsula team.

Nansemond River High School finished the season with a 9-3 record, which included a playoff upset against the No. 3-seeded Indian River High School. The Warriors will have three players on Team Southside — X’zavion Evans, Rashawn Washington and Elijah Askew.

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Evans finished the season with more than 1,700 rushing yards, while Washington and Askew both had solid seasons in helping Nansemond River to its best record under the direction of Coach Justin Conyers.

“It feels good to get back out there and put the equipment on,” Washington said. “It’s our last football game, and then it’s off to a new chapter.”

King’s Fork High School will have three players on Team Southside, as DeVaughn Orr, Kahari Rodgers and Garrett Williams will play. Orr is an All-Region selection and is among the top senior offensive tackles in South Hampton Roads. Rodgers had a strong year on the outside being one of the Bulldog’s top go-to receivers. Williams, a standout defensive back, had a strong year for the Bulldogs and recently signed his National Letter of Intent to play at Temple University.

The Bulldogs finished up their first season under Coach Kermit Buggs’ direction with a playoff win as they upset the third-seeded Warhill High School before falling in the region semifinals.

“It’s still a crazy feeling to be a part of this,” Orr said. “It’s good to be out practicing with some teammates and new guys. It’s just overall a good experience.”

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy will have one representative, as Mason Rhodes is set to play in the game this weekend as well.

Suffolk will total seven players on Team Southside, and everyone has a common goal to represent Suffolk the best way they can while enjoying the moment of playing in their final game of their high school careers.

The 757 All-Star game will be played at Christopher Newport University at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.