The Muskingum Valley All-Star team is a diverse group, well-studied in the history of the game
FALLS TOWNSHIP — The annual Muskingum Valley-Licking County All-Star football game has long been a mix of college football freshmen and those preparing for their final games.
In some cases, the Most Important Players in the game have been those who are preparing for military service, working on electrical lines or starting small businesses.
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In the case of Crooksville linebacker Jace Thompson, he spent his days before the Friday, June 12 game at John D. Sulberger Memorial Stadium in Zanesville working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and his nights taking trap blocks and pass defense.
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It’s the kind of dichotomy that creates a unique feeling for coaches and players who use a quick approach to try and win the football that many in history love so much.
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This year is no different.
There are guys like Thompson, who has turned down opportunities to undermine his career.
There are future College of Wooster teammates in the receiving tandem of Sheridan’s Logan Hupp and Maysville’s Landon Iden, as well as two former teammates in linemen Creed Hill (Sheridan) and Connor Young (Maysville), who received scholarships at Saginaw Valley and Rio Grande, respectively.
Then there’s Tri-Valley’s Ryan Lamonica, the Scotties’ all-time leader in career interceptions and one of the greatest receiving threats in Muskingum Valley League history. The 6-4, 200-pounder, who starred in basketball and baseball, will play football at Muskingum.
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It’s been a different experience for coaches and players, who get less than a week to get used to it, although social media like TikTok and X have helped the process in recent years.
“I’m really excited to play with this group of guys,” said Young, who was named All-East District in Division IV. “I’m really excited about this group of offensive players. I mean, it’s great to hang out with these guys that you’ve just done playing against them all these years and setting them up. And now we’re starting to play together as a group of guys that are going to play college football.”
Former Zanesville, Rosecrans and Maysville head coach Whit Parks, now 76 years old and a member of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, spoke to the team earlier in the week at practice, where team unity and cohesion, especially “the team within the team,” was an important topic.
Parks, who has always been one of the best talkers in his coaching days, was current Muskingum Valley head coach Chris Zemba at Rosecrans in the early 1990s. Zemba is the first Bishops player or coach to become a head coach in this game.
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“You still have it,” said Zemba talking about Park. “He’s 76, but you wouldn’t know it.”
Zemba, one of Muskingum County’s most successful small business owners, had some words to say to his future peers. If so, it was important to resist in stages – in this game and beyond.
“I told them that No. 1, you are 18 years old, so it is the last time you can hit someone without being arrested,” said Zemba. “Your life will not be the same in five years. Life goes on in these five years, and it takes 20 years to build a good reputation. It only takes one bad mistake to destroy it. You have to make the most of these next 20 years.”
Maysville’s Landon Iden catches a pass during a shootout against Licking Valley on Aug. 14, 2025, at Randy Baughman Stadium in Hanover, Ohio. Iden, Sheridan’s Logan Hupp and Tri-Valley’s Ryan Lamonica lead a diverse and talented group of receivers for the Muskingum Valley All-Stars that combined for more than 120 catches as seniors.
Fighting the Scots is already in it
In the case of Hupp and Iden, they have been preparing for weeks as they find future mates who have combined more than 100 fish as adults. They were successful, as every defensive coordinator who broke down HUDL clips knew where the passes tended to go.
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The two 6-foot-6, 170-pounders will be roommates as freshmen.
“It’s exciting to see how we work together,” said Iden. “We’ve been there almost every day.”
That goes beyond football training. Walter Matthaus and Jack Lemmons shaped the modern world off the field.
“We’ve been playing a little golf,” Hupp said with a wry smile.
When asked who was holding the canes, one of them smiled as Iden turned to Hupp and told a story.
“I don’t want to kid myself or anything, but I am,” Iden said.
Hupp quickly intervened — “don’t worry, when the cornhole comes I’ll carry him.”
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“Yes,” Iden replied. “But we get corn from him.”
Tell about a day in the life of two competitors-turned-friends, a tradition of Muskingum-Licking as old as full-size wagons, white tapes and spiked mullets.
Consider it a team effort.
“We were already out and laughing together (the first day of practice), so I think it’s going to be a good team,” Hupp said. “Obviously we’ve known each other forever.”
Iden agreed, adding that the growing popularity of Instagram, especially in sports circles, has helped in the process of breaking the ice to develop relationships.
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“That’s the fun part, how these guys come together,” Zemba said. “They’ve been rivals for years and this has put them on the same team, and it’s been great watching them as a coach.”
sblackbu@usatodayco.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article first appeared in the Zanesville Times Recorder: Muskingum Valley All-Star football game set for Friday, June 12.
