MADISON — The 55th Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic,sponsored by Entergy, will be held tonight at Madison Central HighSchool. The pregame ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m. and thekickoff starts at 7:30.

The game features a North-South format and the South leads theseries 24-22-4. The North defeated the South 10-9 in the 2003game.

Area football players on the South squad include defensivelineman Gregory Porter from Hazlehurst; offensive lineman PhillipKimble from Lawrence County; and wide receiver Damen Seals,quarterback Pat Barnes and linebacker DeJuan Coney from McComb.

The head coach for the South is Jeff Breeland of Newton County.His assistant coaches are Durwood Anderson of Raleigh, Teddy Dyessof Lumberton, Al Jones of George County and Mike Spence of NewtonCounty.

The Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic, formerly knownas the Mississippi High School All-Star Football Game, wasoriginated in 1950 by Mississippi State coach Arthur “Slick”Morton. The MAC assumed sponsorship of the game from the JacksonTouchdown Club in 1993.

In 1994, the game was renamed for Coach Bernard Blackwell, thelate executive Director of the MAC.

The annual Bill Stewart and Cotten Robertson Awards will bepresented at halftime. For more information, contact the MAC at(601)-924-3020 or www.macoaches.com.