DEMOPOLIS – Demopolis head coach Doug Goodwin’s coaching duties have been expanded.

He has been named to the state’s North-South all-star football game scheduled for Dec. 21 at Troy University’s Veterans Memorial Movie Gallery Stadium.

John Mothershed of Deshler High School and Bill Clark of Prattville High School have been named head coaches for the new-look game, which will be televised on CSS cable network.

This isn’t the first time he has been selected to an all-star game coaching staff. “In 1998,during my last year coaching in Lineville I was selected to be on the coaching staff for the North team and ended up coaching the Secondary,” Goodwin said, “This time I’ve been selected for the South team and will serve as the offensive coordinator.”

The annual event, sponsored by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors&Coaches Association along with the Alabama High School Athletic Association, will be the inaugural game played in December and the first one with only juniors participating. Seniors have comprised the rosters since the all-star game’s inception in 1948.

The great thing about the all-star game is that the coaches get a chance to talk and share ideas with other successful coaches. “This will be the first time that the entire roster will be comprised of Juniors, so this game should have the top 36 Juniors in the state playing in it,” Goodwin said, “We will nominate four juniors from DHS to attend, but with the new rules in place only two juniors from one school can be selected to attend.”

Always played during the summer, the North-South game has been a major event of All-Star Sports Week since its renewal eight years ago. The game began in Tuscaloosa as part of the annual summer coaching clinic before it was discontinued in 1984 because of the lack of interest.

Mothershed, whose Deshler teams won state championships in 1998 and 1999, will be joined on the North staff by Randy Sparks of Wadley, Steve Giddens of Lineville, Steve Mask of Colbert County, Bob Godsey of Hartselle, Danny Kimble of Litchfield and Jere Adcock of Decatur.

Bill Clark, who has served on the staffs at Alma Bryant and Hoover high schools before taking the reins at Prattville, will direct the South squad with assistance from Goodwin, Parker Baggett of Autaugaville, Mike Dubose of Luverne, Jamie Riggs of T.R. Miller, Bob Newton of Homewood and Kerry Stevenson of Vigor.

The all-star players, who will be announced during the Super 6 championship weekend Dec. 9-11 in Birmingham, will be selected by members of the Coaches’ Football Committee along with the coaching staffs of the two squads.

Players will report to Troy Dec. 16.

The Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association operates under the auspices of the AHSAA. Membership includes coaches of all AHSAA sports as well as administrators of member schools.