San Marcos — It’s an honor that almost every high school football player dreams about.

To play in a game in which past participants include names like Priest Holmes, Vince Young and  even the legendary Earl Campbell, getting invited to the Texas High School Coaches Association’s All-Star Football Classic is indeed a dubious distinction.

This aspiration will become reality for three future Texas State Bobcats, including Wimberley offensive lineman Charlie Will Tuttle, at tonight’s annual game at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Tuttle, a three-year starter for the Texans, will join Cuero quarterback Tyler Arndt and Carthage defensive lineman DeShun Williams as one of the three Bobcat signees to suit up for tonight’s game. Tuttle will play for the North All-Stars, while signees Arndt and Williams will be on the South All-Stars.

This is the 76th consecutive year for the football game, which is acts as the footnote to the THSCA’s annual Coaching School.

Tuttle (6-3, 285), who played a big role in Wimberley’s five-game playoff run that ended in the Class 3A regional finals, said he’s excited about the opportunity to play in such a prestigious setting.

“It really is a dream come true,” Tuttle said. “I’ve watched the game for some time and I never thought I would be one of those guys playing in such a big deal. It really is an honor.”

Tuttle will be a preferred walk-on for the Bobcats, and he realizes members of the Texas State coaching staff will be watching tonight’s game. In other words, it’s a chance for him to make an early impression.

“That’s crossed my mind that they will be watching and sizing me up and I understand it will be a good opportunity for me to do that,” Tuttle said. “I am going to go out and have a good time, but you always want to play your best with everyone watching you. This isn’t going to be like a regular high school game. Everyone’s a stud and it’s going to be tough to make yourself look, so all you can do is go out and have a good time, get after it and platy hard.”

On the opposite sideline will be Arndt and Williams playing for the South All-Stars.

Bobcats fans will be paying close attention to Arndt, who is likely to get a number of snaps considering he’s one of only two quarterbacks on the South roster. The other signal-caller for the South is Gilmer’s Godfrey Stump, a New Mexico signee.  

Arndt (6-4, 205) was ranked among the top 32 quarterbacks in the nation by ESPN and was the District 28-3A MVP and a first-team all-state selection last season as he guided the Gobblers to the state semifinals with a 13-1 record. He threw for more than 7,100 yards in his high school career with 75 touchdowns and threw for 2,362 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior.

“It’s been a long time off since football, so I’m kind of ready to get back into the swing of things,” Arndt told the Cuero Record. Considering the Bobcats are looking for a new starting quarterback with the departure of three-year starter Bradley George to graduation, tonight’s game will be a good opportunity for Arndt to show of his talent and ability to Bobcat fans and coaches.

Arndt is hoping to compete with last season’s back-up Tim Hawkins and Texas-El Paso transfer Andy McCloud for playing time.

“It’s pretty much wide open,” Arndt said.

The same can be said about Williams, who will be looking to make a strong push for playing time when preseason workouts begin in early August. Williams was a two-time All-State selection who played an instrumental role helping Carthage win Class 3A consecutive state championships.

Last season, Williams led the Bulldogs’ defense with 132 tackles, 30 tackles for a loss, six sacks and 17 quarterback pressures.

He too could use tonight’s game to make a solid impression on the Bobcats’ defensive staff, as State is in need of numbers at the nose guard position.

University of Texas fans will have their eyes on the North team’s Darius Terrell, a 6-3 wide receiver from Desoto. But there is a third-cousin sort of connection that Bobcat fans can rejoice about considering Terrell’s high school coach was Claude Mathis,  Texas State’s all-time leading rusher.

Texas State included, three North players are signed with Southland Conference Schools. Abilene Cooper offensive lineman David Damian (6-5, 290) has signed with Stephen F. Austin, while Euless-Trinity offensive lineman Isikeli Cocker inked with Northwestern State. Arndt and Williams are the only two SLC players on the South roster.

The North All-Stars will be coached by Brownwood’s Bob Shipley, while the South team will be coached by Tatum’s Andy Evans. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.