INDIANAPOLIS — It’s a pretty special experience for a high school football coach to get to coach his own son.
That’s just the dream former Angola head coach Andy Thomas and his son Alex have been living these past few years.
Friday night at Decatur Central High School, father and son got to go on one last ride together.
Coach Thomas was tapped earlier this year to guide the North All-Stars in the 2026 edition of the Murat Shrine Bowl, the annual all-star game for Hoosier prep football standouts sponsored by the Indiana Football Coaches Association.
Alex Thomas, bound for Marian University in Indianapolis this fall to continue his education and play NAIA college football for the Knights, was named to the North roster.
Both Thomases cherished the experience — which encompassed the entire week, starting on Monday with players and coaches moving into athletic dorms at the University of Indianapolis.
“We had a great week,” Coach Thomas said. “Proud of all our guys. We played hard, we fought hard, we were physical.”
Getting to coach Alex one final time was an amazing experience, Coach Thomas said.
“He’s a great football player, but he’s an even better human being,” Coach Thomas said of his son.
For his part, Alex Thomas said the bonus football with his dad was an experience he’ll always treasure.
“During the season, as you get to the playoffs, you don’t know when your season’s going to end,” Alex Thomas said. “It’s always on to the next game. It was really nice to have one more game with my dad coaching me.”
Alex Thomas reports to Marian Aug. 1. He’s looking forward to the entire college experience.
Oh, the game? That was a 23-9 win for the South — their sixth straight win going back to 2019. The 2020 contest was cancelled due to COVID-19.
In all, five area players — Alex Thomas, Garrett’s Aiden Hunt, East Noble’s Rylee Biddle and Hunter Smithson and DeKalb’s Xavier Bell — represented the North.
Biddle will play at the University of Saint Francis. On Friday night in the Shrine Bowl, he alternated series at quarterback with Andrean’s Grady Elish.
Despite the loss, Biddle said the week was a special one and a memorable coda to a memorable prep career that saw him help lead the Knights to a Class 4A state runner-up finish in 2024.
“Obviously not the outcome we wanted, but the entire week, the bonding with the guys, going to lunch, going to practice, listening to music in the showers… all that stuff,” Biddle said. “It means so much to us, and we were able to come together, build that brotherhood and take it all in. In less than 100 hours, I’ve got some new brothers for life.”
Biddle also got to take snaps from Smithson one final time.
Smithson, by the way, played the entire game on a broken ankle after sustaining the injury on the opening play from scrimmage.
Smithson said it was an “awesome feeling.”
“Just to get one more game with him (Biddle),” Smithson said. “Being able to be with him and Coach (East Noble assistant Kristian) Jarrett was amazing.”
The camaraderie — especially with the offensive line group — will be something Smithson takes with him into the next chapter.
“It was a short couple of days, but we became a brotherhood,” Smithson said.
Hunt found himself the recipient of a bit of serendipity, putting the pads on one final time as a late addition to the North squad.
Hunt found out he’d been added to the North roster in a Monday morning phone call from Andy Thomas, stepped down at Angola after leading the Hornets to a Class 3A sectional title last season.
Thomas said Hunt is a “great player and a great kid.”
“He represented himself well down here this week on short notice,” Thomas said. “He was ecstatic to get the opportunity.”
Thomas was familiar with Hunt because Angola and Garrett are both in the Northeast Corner Conference.
So when a spot on the North roster opened up due to a player dropping out, Hunt was Thomas’s first call.
From there, it was a whirlwind week of activities for Hunt at the University of Indianapolis as he met his teammates and participated in workouts in preparation for th 60th annual Shrine Bowl. He reported at the same time as the rest of his North teammates.
But for Hunt, it was more about the unexpected experience, which he said he will cherish as he makes the transition to the workforce. Hunt works at the Walmart Distribution Center in Garrett.
First order of business for Hunt this past week? Borrowing a mouthpiece and shoes from his younger brother.
Hunt, thinking his high school football days had come to an end last fall, had gotten rid of his equipment.
Hunt said it was great to get one more chance to play under the Friday night lights.
“I made some new friends,” Hunt said as he savored the postgame environment with family on the field.
Jarrett was an assistant under Thomas on the North staff and recent Eastside graduate Reese Shull was a manager. Shull was a manager for the Blazer football program for three years.
The event is the longest standing prep football all-star game in the country and is also co-sponsored by the Indianapolis Colts.
Players are selected from all 10 IFCA regions and all six IHSAA classes. IFCA President Brian Dugger said the game is about much more than the action on the gridiron.
“This week has given these participants an opportunity to connect and transition from opponent to teammate and develop lifelong friendships,” Dugger said.
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