Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Northside High School football coach Keith Boyd has a lot of accomplishments on his resume. However, he’s never coached in an all-star game … until last Sunday.

Boyd was one of the assistant coaches for the East squad in the annual East-West All-Star Game. Football players from around the state were chosen to take part in the event, which used to be played in the summer but has been moved to the winter. It was played last Sunday in its new slot for the second straight year.

“This is my very first experience, and it was great,” Boyd said. “From what I understand, you get nominated by someone throughout the state or in Eastern North Carolina and it goes before other people and then you’re selected. I’m not familiar with the process anyway, but we all got put up and then got called to ask if we’d do it and then you had to accept the nomination.”

Boyd said he was chosen for the task over a year ago when the event was still being played in the summer. He and his wife left Tuesday for Greensboro and, with Jacksonville coach Beau Williams — the East head coach — and the rest of the staff began getting the team ready for the game. There was little time for other things like Christmas shopping or seeing the sights of the area.

“We practiced Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” Boyd said. “A couple of those practices being two-a-days and then we played Sunday afternoon.

“It was a pretty rigorous schedule. From the time you get up until you get in at 9, 9:30, 10 o’clock, you’re with the team practicing or doing certain events with the teams like bowling or going to the movies. So, you’re basically around them from sunup to sundown.”

Each team had 36 players. Teams were limited to the offensive and defensive plays they could run. There was no blitzing and each team had to submit specific offensive formations.

“So, you have to really keep it simple and, you know, you just let your players play,” Boyd said. “But within the game planning, you know, we had coaches meetings and stuff like that to figure out, kind of some of the things we wanted to do.”

The game didn’t turn out in favor of the East, which dropped a 23-7 decision. Still, Boyd said it was a great overall experience. He even learned a few things he hopes to incorporate into his team for the next football season.

“That was the great part about it was, you know, hanging with the coaches and the players, people you didn’t really know,” Boyd said. “You made some relationships that hopefully will carry on. We had an awesome coaching staff, and it was fun hanging out with them and players as well.”

Football will remain in his schedule as the family was heading to Annapolis, Md., for the Military Bowl between ECU and N.C. State on Saturday.

“We’re a football family,” Boyd said. “We love it. Life’s short. You better take all the advantages and the opportunities you have to spend time with your family and your friends. That’s what we love doing. We love going and watching the Pirates play.”