BETHANY – They are good friends and longtime teammates. Now all three are suiting up for Ohio in the 71st Annual OVAC Rudy Mumley All-Star Football Game.

The game will serve as one final ride together for Andrew Hython, Matt Barbour and Arjay Burress. The talented trio enjoyed successful grid careers at Martins Ferry, each gaining all-Ohio honors.

Now after hundreds of practices and 40-plus games together as Purple Riders, Hython, Barbour and Burress relish the thought of playing one final game together before going separate ways.

Ferry didn’t experience its usual success this past fall. Coach Dave Bruney’s Purple Riders went 5-5. That mark could have been easily 8-2 or 9-1 as three losses came by a single score and a fourth came by two scores.

The three previous seasons saw the Purple Riders gain state playoff berths.

“Our record wasn’t what we are accustomed to, but we had four close losses. We had some tough breaks,” Barbour noted. “We are used to making the playoffs. So, this all-star game gives us another opportunity to go out together with a big win.”

Despite the .500 mark, Barbour and Hython both earned second-team all-Ohio honors this past season. Barbour was tabbed as a defensive lineman while Hython was lauded as a running back, after gaining 1,327 yards rushing to go with 16 TDs.

Burress, meanwhile, earned all-Ohio honors as a sophomore and junior, the latter campaign rushing for more than 1,700 yards and 30 TDs. As a senior, he was utilized more as a wideout.

A fourth Ferry standout was selected to participate in the OVAC game but was unable to compete. Tackle Emilio Appolloni had to opt out of the contest as he has started practice with the Purdue University football team.

So four years of grid kinmanship boils down for one final week of practice and camaraderie. The three Purple gridders are podmates at Campbell Village on the Bethany College campus.

“We have been together for a long time, both on and off the field. So it is really neat that we are playing in this game together,” Barbour said. “What makes it sweeter is we are all rooming together.

“The camaraderie is great among the Ohio teammates. We are making new friends for life,” he added. “But at the end of the day, it is nice to be staying with your school buddies. It will be the last time all three of us are together.”

Barbour will be heading to Columbus in a few short weeks, launching his college academic and grid careers at D-II Ohio Dominican. Hython will continue his football career at West Liberty. Burress also plans to become a Hilltopper but will not play football.

Hython is having the time of his life at camp.

“I am having a blast. We have only been here a couple of days but it’s been a lot of fun. It is great meeting all these new teammates,” Hython said during Media Day activities. “But what makes it really special is having Matt and Arjay here, also. We have been through a lot together. It would have been even sweeter if Emilio was with us. The only bad thing is the beds are a little hard.”

Burress, meanwhile, enjoys rubbing elbows with his Purple pals but turns hermit in his free time.

“It’s like old times being here with Andrew and Matt. We had a lot of good times playing football at Ferry,” Burress – an aspiring pro wrestler – said. “We share a pod here but when we are back at the dorm I lock myself in my room and play video games. I am also now big into Christianity, so I like some quiet time to myself.”

Hython summed up the thoughts of all three, “We are used to winning at Martins Ferry. We expect to leave with one more win come Saturday night.”

BUBBA’S OVAC BITS

Bob Koch has a tough job as game director. Dealing with so many individuals and countless details it is an enormous task, but it is one he has done expertly for 16 years. Joyce Jingle, meanwhile, handles the Queen of Queens event with equal efficiency.

The program for Saturday’s OVAC game is dedicated to OVAC Hall of Famer Bill Hinegardner. He has assisted with the game for many years and several capacities, including as an assistant coach in 1969 under John Marshall coach Dan Hammill.

Forty-one of the OVAC’s 52 schools are represented in the game in some fashion. The McDonald’s Band has 143 members from 21 schools; 23 queen candidates; 18 cheerleaders from 10 schools and 64 players from 33 schools.

In 44 years, the OVAC game has donated more than $900,00 to charitable organizations and scholarships.