Lewis Cass football coach Scott Mannering sees a nod to the Grange Insurance North-South All-Star Classic as the crowning achievement for senior prep football players in Indiana.

“As far as a high school football player [in Indiana] goes, it is the ultimate honor that you can get,” Mannering said. “It’s so hard to make it.”

For Cass’ Damon Foreman and Kokomo’s Braxton Shelton, the good news that they were part of that elite group came this week: Foreman and Shelton will represent their schools in this summer’s All-Star Classic, which splits the state in half north and south, and takes 46 of the top football players from each half.

Super Kat

Shelton was taken aback when he first learned of the news from coach Brett Colby.

“It’s a new experience for me,” Shelton said. “Coach Colby told me at the beginning that there was a chance that I might not make it, and that I shouldn’t get my hopes up. I was in disbelief when I found out.”

Shelton left his mark as, statistically, the best running back to ever suit up for the Wildkats. Thus, he was an easy pick to be one of the North squad’s seven players at that position.

“Braxton had a great career at Kokomo,” Colby said. “We had a great football season — we were undefeated [in the regular season] and ranked in the top 10, and he was our offensive most valuable player. He’s as deserving as any of the other running backs there. We’re very proud of him.”

Shelton’s selection marks the third-straight year that Kokomo has had a player named to the squad, joining Austin Andrews (2008) and Curt Hutchins (2009), a fact that speaks well for the program, Colby feels.

“It’s a feather in our cap,” Colby said. “It’s nice when our kids are being recognized. We’ve worked hard to get to the level we’re at. We’re certainly not satisfied with where we are — we want to continue to get better. I think people are recognizing us as one of the programs in 5A that people need to look at.”

Shelton struck fear into the hearts of every defense he faced during his time with Kokomo, and before his prep career was through, he would own 16 school records on the offensive side of the ball.

After a junior season that included 1,471 rushing yards, Shelton ran for 1,650 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2009, leading Kokomo to a 9-1 record and its third-straight North Central Conference crown. The Wildkats finished the year ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press’ Class 5A poll.

His career records include 4,182 rushing yards, 66 rushing touchdowns, 4,607 all-purpose yards, 70 total touchdowns and 438 total points.

It’s not the statistics that Shelton hopes he’s remembered for, though.

“I just want to be remembered for the things I did off the field,” he said. “Records are nice, but in the end, they are going to be broken, whether it’s two years from now or 20 years down the line. I just want people to remember me for how I acted on the field, and the good example I set both on and off the field.”

It is Colby’s belief that Shelton is held in high regard by those who know him, and as a result, will be remembered in that manner.

“Braxton’s a quality individual — he’s worked hard in four years of football for Kokomo,” Colby said. “He’s a team player first. We never had an issue with him worrying about yards or carries. … He’s a hard-working kid who prepares himself well and plays with a good attitude.”

Shelton will continue his football career and education at the University of St. Francis, an NAIA school in Fort Wayne that possesses a rich tradition in football.

Coach Kevin Donley has led the Cougars to a 114-23 record and nine Mid-States Football Association titles in 11 seasons. St. Francis made three-straight appearances in the NAIA national title game from 2004 to 2006.

Like Foreman, Shelton sees the All-Star Classic as a great springboard into a college career on the gridiron.

“These are the elite players in Indiana high school football, so I will be playing with some of the top players in college football [in years to come],” Shelton said. “This all comes down to me being the best athlete I can be. Hopefully this will help me prepare for St. Francis. I will continue to work hard, and hopefully I can continue to shine.”

An All-Star King

Foreman, whose father informed him of the news Tuesday morning, sees the nod as a great honor.

“I didn’t really know what to say — I was shocked,” Foreman said. “It’s something you think about when you’re a little kid. You see other people that have been Indiana All-Stars. It’s something you want to achieve when you get older. This is really exciting.”

Foreman was a star for the Kings on both sides of the ball in 2009.

He went down with a shoulder injury midseason, and after missing three games, returned to help his squad win its third-straight sectional title, a 28-7 road win over Northwestern.

Foreman, a dual-threat quarterback, finished the year with 565 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground on 109 carries, and went 48 of 97 through the air with eight touchdown passes.

He was a menace in the defensive backfield, as well, finishing the year with 48 total tackles (31 solo) and an area-best seven interceptions.

For his efforts, Foreman was named the Most Valuable Player of the Kokomo Tribune All-Area Team, which is open to the Class 3A and smaller schools in the area.

Mannering feels that Foreman could have made the all-star team on either side of the ball, and with the talent at quarterback in the northern half of the state this year, had no qualms with him being named to the squad as a free safety.

“It was an awfully tough field just to make the team, so to make the team in one way or another is a real honor for the kids,” Mannering said. “Having been involved in the game before as an assistant and as the head coach, I just think it’s an awesome week. The [Indiana Football] Coaches Association does a nice job of making that game a big deal for the kids.”

Foreman continues Cass’ streak of all-star players. Johnathan Metcalf (2006), Matt Baber (’07), Rory Mannering (’08) and Kitt O’Brien (’09) represented the Kings in the four previous games.

Foreman will have the luxury of playing with six of his future University of Indianapolis teammates. Foreman will walk on to the Greyhounds football squad, which will be under a new head coach in Bob Bartolomeo. Bartolomeo replaces Joe Polizzi, who went 84-89-1 in 16 seasons the NCAA Division II school.

“That’ll be a great thing for him to get started [with his collegiate career],” Mannering said. “He’ll make some friends, and that’s a good situation.”

Foreman hopes the competition level of the All-Star Classic serves as a readying tool for football at the next level.

“I hope to be able to compete — there are a lot of good athletes and football players [in this game],” he said. “It should be a great experience — there will be players there who are going to be [NCAA] Division I athletes. It’ll be nice because it’ll be right before I go into college football.”

The 2010 Grange Insurance North-South All-Star Classic will take place on Friday, July 16th at 7 p.m. at North Central High School in Indianapolis, where the North squad, coached by Mishawaka’s Bart Curtis, will take on the South team. The South stars will be coached by New Palestine’s Tim Able.

Curtis is a former Maconaquah coach.