Brantley coach David Lowery will join one of the winningest high school coaches in the state this December to help coach the South All-Star team for the annual North-South All-Star football game at 2 p.m. Dec. 23 at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium at Troy University.

UMS-Wright coach Terry Curtis will be the head coach of the South All-Stars, while Hoover's Rush Propst will lead the North coaching staff.

"I'm excited about it. It's been about five or six years since I was involved with the All-Star game, and we had a good time together," Lowery said.

In addition to Lowery, coaches Clint McCrory of Red Level, Larry Ware of G.W. Carver-Montgomery, Randy Ragsdale of Trinity, Jackie O'Neal of Reeltown and Ron Nelson of Central-Phenix City will make up Curtis' staff.

Curtis and Propst will be coaching in the in-state battle for the first time, although both have coached previously in the Alabama-Mississippi all-star game that is played annually in Mobile in June. Also, Curtis guided UMS-Wright to Class 4A state championships in 2001 and 2002, while Propst's Hoover teams have won four of the last five Class 6A titles.

This marks the second December date for this intra-state game, which had been played as a part of the annual All-Star Sports Week in the summer until 2004 when renovations to Montgomery's Cramton Bowl forced the move to Troy. Then the 2005 summer game was moved back to December of last year, also in Troy.

Lowery is glad the AHSAA has since made the decision to play the game in December versus July.

"We had a couple of kids falling out back then," he said. "We even had

to put one in the hospital and hook him to an IV. This is a different time of year and the kids should be in better condition. I think it'll work out well."

Like last year, the all-star game will feature high school juniors, said Steve Bailey, director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association.

The game had featured graduated seniors since its inception in 1948 until the last December's contest.

Propst's assistants on the North staff are Larry Strain of Woodland, Randy Sparks of Wadley, Danny Adams of Winfield, Lymos McDaniel of R.A. Hubbard, Michael Jackson of Buckhorn and Paul Benefield of Fyffe.

"The staff selections were based on the coaches' appearances in the playoffs during past seasons," Bailey said. "There is a lot of experience on these two staffs, which should make for a highly-competitive game."