Coleman and Allen to Coach Teams in 17th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game

Carl Coleman and Johnny Allen, two of the top coaches in the Memphis area, will lead the teams in the 17th annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Football Game presented by ARS/Conway Services and the Tennessee Highway Safety Office. Coleman, the head coach at Manassas High School, will coach the Blue Team. Allen, the head coach at Harding Academy, will coach the Red Team. The All-Star Game will feature the top players from Shelby County Schools and private schools in the Memphis area.

The game will be played Saturday, December 8 at Memphis University School. Kickoff is at 2:30 pm. Tickets cost $10, for kids 6 and under the cost is $5. The All-Star Game will be telecast live on WLMT CW30 and broadcast on radio by Sports 56/87.7 FM. 

“The AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game is now well established and entrenched as one of the marquee events on the local high school scene,” said AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart. “With two of the most outstanding coaches from Memphis leading the teams, we will continue the tradition of excellence the All-Star Game has created over the past sixteen years.”

Carl Coleman is in his eleventh year as a head coach. He led Westwood High School in 2007 and 2008. He’s been the head coach at Manassas for nine years. Coleman’s teams have earned a berth in state playoffs five times, including the 2015 season when Manassas reached the third round of the playoffs – the deepest playoff run in school history. He has served as an assistant coach in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game the past five years.


“The AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game gives Memphis a chance to showcase the abundance of talent in the Memphis area,” said Coleman. “It gives many seniors one last opportunity to go out as a winner in their final high school game if they didn’t win the state championship. It’s a great way to kick-off the activities for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”

Johnny Allen has been coaching high school football for more than twenty years. He’s in his third season as head coach at Harding Academy and his seventh season overall as a head coach, with four years at Rossville Christian Academy. Allen has also worked as defensive coordinator at Briarcrest, White Station and CBHS. Allen’s Harding team has reached the state playoffs the past two years. Allen served as an assistant coach in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School AllStar Game in 2017.

“The AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game gives the fans an opportunity to see local talent that, in many cases, they have only heard or read about,” said Allen. “Because of the exposure the game has created over the past years, there has been an increase in appreciation for the overall talent that Memphis and Shelby County have at all levels.”

The All-Star teams will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of area head coaches and other football analysts. 

Each team will consist of players selected from the following schools. Each player must have the recommendation of his head coach and will be selected on the basis of his character, on-field achievement and classroom performance. Player nominations must be submitted to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl by Friday, October 19.

Here are all of the coaches selected for this game as well as how the teams are divided up by school and the complete history of the event:



Red Team Head Coach–Johnny Allen (Harding Academy)
Assistant Coaches
Quintin Jones (Kingsbury)
Gene Robinson (Fairley)
Jonas Rodriguez (ECS)
James Thomas (Houston)
Edgar Williams (Overton)

Players selected from these schools will be on the Red team.

Bartlett
Brighton
Central
East
ECS
FACS
Fairley
Hamilton
Harding Academy
Hillcrest
Houston
Kingsbury
MAHS
MASE
Melrose
Middle College
MUS
Overton
Raleigh Egypt
Rossville Christian
Sheffield
Southwind
St Benedict
Westwood
Whitehaven
Wooddale



Blue Team Head Coach – Carl Coleman (Manassas)
Assistant Coaches
Winston Delane (BTW)
Chester Flowers (Kirby)
Preston Harris (Douglass)
Lennoris Staples (Middle College)
Brian Stewart (Briarcrest)

Players selected from these schools will be on the Blue team.

Arlington
BTW
Bolton
Briarcrest
CBHS
Collierville
Cordova
Covington
Craigmont
Douglass
Fayette Academy
Freedom Prep
Germantown
KIPP
Kirby
Lausanne
Manassas
MLK Prep
Millington
Mitchell
Munford
Northpoint Christian
Oakhaven
Ridgeway
St George's
Tipton Rosemark
Trezevant
White Station



 AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game History (2002 - 2016)

2002: Date: December 14
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Ken Netherland – Germantown H.S. (Red)    
Al Cate – Central H.S. (Blue)

Final Score: Blue 14, Red 9


2003: Date: December 13
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Wayne Randall – East H.S. (Blue)                
Maurice Harris – Whitehaven H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Blue 7, Red 6


2004: Date: December 11
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Terry Ryan – Frayser H.S. (Red)                
Kevin Locastro – CBHS (Blue)

Final Score: Red 17, Blue 10


2005: Date: December 10
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Major Wright – White Station H.S. (Red)                
Duron Sutton – Kingsbury H.S. (Blue)

Final Score: Red 14, Blue 7



2006: Date: December 9
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Tim Haney – Houston H.S. (Red)                
John Cooley – Ridgeway H.S. (Blue)

Final Score: Red 14, Blue 13


2007: Date: December 15
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Jim Heinz – Evangelical Christian School (Blue)                
Rodney Saulsberry – Whitehaven H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Blue 24, Red 13


2008: Date: December 13 
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Tommy Harrison – Millington H.S. (Blue)                
Stan Collins – Whitehaven H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Red 14, Blue 0


2009: Date: December 12
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Charlie White – Germantown H.S. (Blue)                
Nathan Cole – Mitchell H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Blue 18, Red 15


2010: Date: December 11
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Bobby Armbruster -- Bartlett H.S. (Blue)                
Rahnmann Slocum -- Fairley H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Red 17, Blue 14


2011: Date: December 10
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Earl Lester – Kingsbury H.S. (Blue)                
Devin Rutherford – White Station H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Red 14, Blue 7


2012: Date: December 8
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Chris Wiley – Arlington H.S. (Blue)                
Marcus Wimberly – East H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Blue 58, Red 49 (All-time record for total points scored - 107)


2013: Date: December 14
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Chris Michael – Millington H.S. (Blue)                
Lynord Crutchfield – Central H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Blue 43, Red 38 


2014: Date: December 13
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Cecil VanHooks – Craigmont (Blue)                
Robby Donaldson – FACS (Red)

Final Score: Blue 45, Red 39 

MVP: Cameron Sanders, CBHS (first year award was presented)


2015: Date: December 12
Site: Memphis University School

Legend Coaches:
Tom Nix – CBHS (Blue)          
Glenn Rogers, Sr. – South Side H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Red 18, Blue 14

MVP: Donte Vaughn, Whitehaven H.S.


2016: Date: December 10
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Anthony Jones – Cordova H.S. (Blue)                
Joe Rocconi – White Station H.S. (Red)

Final Score: Blue 10, Red 3

MVP: Tyler Garvey, Collierville H.S.


2017: Date: December 9
Site: Memphis University School

Coaches:
Jerome Griffin – Wooddale H.S. (Red)      
David Carter – St. George’s (Blue)

Final Score: Red 31, Blue 28

MVP: Paul Todd, Hillcrest H.S.

The series is tied 8-8.