Wheeling Park’s Hunter, Nixon is one of four Wheeling Park football players who will be suiting up one last time to play on their home turf of Wheeling Island Stadium on Saturday night in the OVAC All-Star Football Game.

WHEELING — Wheeling Park’s home football schedule did not end how the Patriots wanted.

Following a rousing victory over rival Brooke 56-7 at Wheeling Island Stadium in week eight, the Patriots dropped a heart-breaker to Parkersburg South, 26-24, the next week in their home finale.

For most of Park’s seniors, that loss was the final game they’ll play at Wheeling Island Stadium.

The Patriots finished the regular season with a win at John Marshall and then traveled to Huntington for the first round of the playoffs.

This week, four former Patriots will get one last chance to play one final game in their home stadium with the Rody Mumley OVAC All-Star Football Game set to kick off at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

“We’ve been talking about this game for weeks because we played on that field throughout our whole high school careers together,” said former Park linebacker Colt Thomas. “It’s really exciting for us to know that this is going to be our last game that we’re going to play together in the Island Stadium. It’s sad but it’s going to be great to play there one last time.”

Joining Thomas on West Virginia’s roster for the game are former Wheeling Park teammates Nate Shelek, Hunter Nixon and Braden Hupp.

“It means something more to us Park guys than anybody else because it’s our home field and we get to play one last, final game there,” Thomas said. “In the playoffs, we went to Huntington and we ended up losing down there so we didn’t really have that.

“Even our final game in the regular season wasn’t on that field so it feels good to be selected for this game and get to play on that field again.”

All four former Patriots will look to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball for coach John Kelley.

Thomas and Nixon will play at linebacker, Shelek at safety and Hupp at defensive tackle.

“It’s awesome, especially to get to play with all the Park boys,” Shelek said. “It’s the best ending, especially getting to play in our home stadium on the island with a big crowd from Wheeling.”

At the beginning of August, Thomas and Nixon will head off to start their college football careers, but they’re taking the time this week to really appreciate the opportunity to play in the all-star game, even rooming together during camp this week at Wheeling University.

“It’s awesome, it’s a dream come true, truly,” Nixon said. “Most of us grew up watching this game and it was just a dream to play in it. Now to be able to play it at (Wheeling Island Stadium), it’s a dream come true.”