Northgate pair, Trinity Christian trio playing in football all-star game
From Staff Reportssports@newnan.com
A pair of Northgate High football standouts and three more from Trinity Christian will take the field one more time before 2012 comes to a close.
Vikings seniors De’Andre Johnson and Brandon Facyson were selected to play in this year’s Georgia Athletic Coaches’ Association North-South All-Star Game.
Trinity Christian seniors Drew Gibson, Edwin Rivera and Jay Warner were each invited to play in the National All-American Game on Dec. 22 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The trio helped lead the Lions to a 6-5 season and the program’s first postseason berth since moving to 11-man football in the GISA.
The trio join a group of Coweta players selected to play in the game including East Coweta senior running back Dee Godfrey and Northgate senior running back Michael Willis.
Gibson was a two-way standout at fullback and defensive end/linebacker for the Lions after sitting out the entire 2011 season while recovering from a battle with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a muscular disorder. Through 10 games, Gibson had 46 tackles and two sacks while also responsible for three Trinity safeties on defense. He has received several college offers including one from Air Force. Gibson also was an asset as a punter this season for head coach Chris Hanson.
Rivera, a two-way starter, had a team-high 77 tackles at linebacker heading into the final game of the season. He also was a starter on the offensive line this year after transferring from East Coweta with Warner in the offseason.
Warner, meanwhile, rushed for 1,112 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season, averaging 8.4 yards a carry.
Newnan High will also be well represented in All-Star events. Senior Tray Matthews earned a selection to the prestigious U.S. All-American Bowl in San Antonio to be held Saturday, Jan. 5. The game will be televised on NBC.
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( Editor’s Note: If you know a player who is participating in a postseason high school All-Star event, contact Sports Editor Chris Goltermann at cgoltermann@newnan.com )
