Wildcats well represented

Class 4A state champion Oak Harbor is well represented by two first team all-state players and three members of the coaching staff at today’s East/West All-Star football game.

When the ball is teed up for the kickoff at Everett Memorial Stadium, Class 4A Player of the Year Marshall Lobbestael will be directing the offense from the quarterback position and six-foot, five-inch, 310 pound Will Hunter will be doing the heavy lifting on the offensive and defensive lines.

In addition, Oak Harbor’s Dave Ward is the head coach of the West team and two of his assistants, Mike Fisher and Tom Mueller, are on the staff coaching the offensive and defensive lines and the linebackers.

Presented by the Washington State Coaches Association and the Everett Herald in cooperation with the Washington State Activities Association, the annual event brings together 64 of the best senior football players from around the state for one final meeting on the field before the players move on with their lives.

For Lobbestael and Hunter, the next stop in their football careers is at Washington State University in Pullman.

Lobbestael received a full-ride scholarship to play football for the Cougars, and Hunter, after first considering being a walk-on player at Eastern Washington University, has decided to attend WSU with Lobbestael and try his luck as a walk-on with the Cougars.

The pair won’t have long to wait after the all-star game before donning football gear once again. Fall practice sessions in Pullman begin Aug. 3.

The 64 players on both teams have spent a week in Everett beginning with an afternoon media and photo session June 25, followed by four days of practice in preparation for the big game.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.