Tallahatchie County native Tony Vance will serve as head coach of the South Mississippi All-Stars during Saturday's 71st annual Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic.
The game, which features All-Star varsity football selections from all public school classifications, is scheduled to kick off at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 21 at Gulfport High School's Milner Stadium in Gulfport.
The South Mississippi All-Stars team includes a roster of 42 players. Vance heads a coaching staff of eight.
Vance, 43, of Tippo, recently completed his seventh season as head football coach at Hattiesburg High School in Hattiesburg. There, he has a cumulative coaching record of 59-33-1. In 2017, Hattiesburg won the Class 5A South State championship before losing in the state championship game.
Prior to that, he served five years (2008-2013) as head football coach at his alma mater, Charleston High School. In Charleston, his teams compiled a won-lost record of 60-10, earning Class 3A North State championships in 2011 and 2012, and winning the program's only state championship title in 2011.
IN THE PHOTO: Tony Vance, in his Hattiesburg Tigers purple and gold shirt, poses for a photo. For the Charleston Tigers, of course, he wore the black and gold. (Photo special to The Sun-Sentinel)
