By Jon Sicotte
July 12, 2008 - 12:00 a.m. EST

CASS CITY — Patriots and Rockets.

Cardinals and Vulcans.

Not in this game.

Under the banner of Northwest All-Stars, this was a team.

The best graduated senior football players all on one field and with no mascot, the only thing important was to have fun.

The Greater Thumb's and USA's Lance Vanhoost took the hand off from the Tri-Valley's and Millington's Dustin Griesing.

After the play, he was on the sidelines getting congrats from kids from Reese and Cass City.

Welcome to the 'Twilight Zone, Thumb-style.

“(Cass City's) Tommy Parrish said these were the same guys that we kind of learned how to hate over all these years, but there wasn’t any problems,” Northwest coach and Cass City’s Josh Stern said. “I think they all just appreciated the fact they’re all good football players.”

And it gave the kids from different conferences a chance to see what everyone else was talking about.

Many Greater Thumb fans never got a chance to see Millington's Dustin Griesing toss to Garrett Stier.

"I had high expectations going into this,' the Michigan Tech-bound quarterback and Thumb Sportswriters Association All-Thumb Football Player of the Year said. "I felt I had a lot expected of me.

"I thought (Millington) was a good team, but these guys were a real team."

And vice-versa.

All the Caro, Vassar and Millington fans got a great glimpse of All-Stater Lance VanHoost in the same backfield with All-Thumb First Teamer Corban Stewart.

On the line you saw a rainbow of helmets.

Bad Axe next to Caro next to North Huron next to USA next to Millington.

For the Southeast fans, what a backfield of Brett Bucholtz (Harbor Beach) and Michael Mann (Peck) along with Jon Hayward and running quarterback Austin Comment.

That and many rivals from the Greater Thumb East all played as one.

With over 1,200 people in attendance, the contest should go on to next season as well according to coordinator Al Dadacki and staff.

"Now they can keep building on this," Stern said. "They started at a thousand and if people want to see a good football game, they can build on this.

"These kids now are going to go back and tell their friends - the kids that could be playing next year - and to know they could have one more game to play (after the season), they'll look forward to doing it."

Added Southeast coach and Marlette's Denny Lester: "This thing is going to work.

"The first year is always going to be the hardest. A few problems here and there, but this was a success."

Jon Sicotte is Sports Editor of the Advertiser. He can be reached by calling (989) 673-3181 or e-mail: sicotte@tcadvertiser.com