Auston Shipley will get a chance to do something only seven other players from Bastrop have done before — play in the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Football Game.
Shipley becomes the first player from Bastrop since guard Ronnie Moore (1989) was selected for the all-star game.
Not bad for a player who, despite being the second leading receiver in District 25-5A, was left off the all-district team in 2008.
The Bears have had a total of seven players in the all-star game’s 76-year history.
Bastrop’s leading receiver for the last two seasons said Friday that he really didn’t understand the significance of the game when he found out he was selected in April.
“I really didn’t know how big of a deal this was,” Shipley said. “Coaches were telling me this was a big deal and I started researching it more and I got a lot more excited about it.”
The THSCA All-Star Game will be played Tuesday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $10 at the gate.
The game is part of the four-day Texas High School Coaches Convention which will take place in San Antonio beginning Sunday.
Shipley will play on the South All-Star Team and will be joined by fellow Central Texans Andy Erickson (Lake Travis) and Bryce Hagar (Westlake).
There are only five wide receivers listed on the South roster so Shipley said he expects to get some significant playing time.
“I hope so,” he said. “I am going to enjoy it. Yes, we are playing football and yes, it’s going to be serious, but this whole experience is going to be a lot of fun.”
Shipley will also be joined by fellow Blinn Junior College players Devin Walker, Gary Bivens and Marion Grice on the South All-Star team, which is being coached by Tatum’s Andy Evans.
Shipley, who has been at Blinn for the last two weeks taking summer classes and doing strength and conditioning workouts, said he is looking forward to suiting up with his future teammates.
“We have been talking about it through the last couple of weeks,” he said. “We are all really excited to get down there and just play football.”
Shipley checked into his room Friday afternoon and began practice with the South team Saturday.
Bastrop’s former wide receiver had 51 catches for 814 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior season. Shipley caught a touchdown pass in 10 of Bastrop’s 11 games in 2009.
In his two years on the varsity team, Shipley had 95 total catches for 1,558 yards and 18 touchdowns.

THSCA ALL-STAR FOOTBALL GAME
When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday
Where: The Alamodome in downtown San Antonio
Tickets: $10 at the gate
What to watch for: Bastrop wide receiver Auston Shipley should get significant playing time as there are just five wide receivers listed.

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