This year's WFCA All-Star Charity Football Games raises over $340,000 for Children's Wisconsin

OSHKOSH – The 48th Annual Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star Charity Football Games were July 19 and 20, hosted for the 45th time by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at Titan Stadium, in partnership with and to benefit the Children's Wisconsin Foundation.

Each year, the best of the best high school football players and coaches from throughout the state are nominated to participate in the WFCA All-Star Charity Football Games, and of the 400 players nominated, 220 are chosen for the honor of playing in these prestigious games which have left a legacy that has lived on for generations.

The players and coaches chosen all participate in a weeklong camp, which culminates in the annual North vs. South games. Each participant fundraises with a goal to raise at least $750.

Since the partnership began in 2007, the WFCA All-Star Charity Football Games have raised more than $5.7 million for the benefit of Children's Wisconsin, including over $340,000 donated this year to support the cause.

Mayville defensive lineman and Small School South All-Star, Cole Legas, was this year's top fundraiser - personally raising $9,750 - nearly doubling the next-highest total raised by anyone selected to the event.

"The fundraising for the kids is obviously the most important thing, aside from the game," Legas said. "Seeing Mayville come together like this ― last year, when we had our guys play, they all contributed a ton through the donation process to Children's Wisconsin ― just to get a bunch of donations and be the highest (fundraiser), at that, is really cool. Seeing the community come through just for one person, that's pretty awesome how we support football, and everyone rallies around it."

The mission of Children's Wisconsin is to improve care and quality of life for kids and families across the state, and the money raised helps support embracing an expansive view of well-being ― including physical, social, and mental health.

"I think the biggest thing that I've seen so far, this year, is great games, great weather, great people," said WFCA All-Star Game Chairman Doug Sarver, who has served on the board for 20 years. "The hosts at Oshkosh do a fantastic job and the WFCA people are doing a fantastic job for a great cause in Children's Wisconsin."

UW-Oshkosh head football coach Peter Jennings said it's a "blessing and an honor to have the opportunity to host this event."

"We have, I truly believe, the best state association when it comes to football coaches in the entire country; and it shows in our clinics and conventions, it shows in our professional development opportunities, and then it also shows in giving young men the opportunity to go have one more great experience with former teammates, current teammates, future teammates ― a really, really cool environment that way," Jennings added.

"We've got coaches from all over the state that are volunteering a ton of time and that just shows how much they love what they do, and the love for the kids in the state. I really like to think of UW-Oshkosh as 'the home of high school football' throughout the course of the summer, whether it's this or the state championship for 7-on-7, or any of the other things we do."

Not only do the charity games pay dividends for a great cause, but they also help to boost morale throughout the surrounding area and draw attention to the recently renovated facilities.

"We've been hosting this for 40-plus years, and it's always exciting to have these guys come back in town," said Darryl Sims, Assistant Chancellor and Director of Athletics at UW-Oshkosh.

"This event benefits the entire Oshkosh community so, when I'm always talking to folks about it, it certainly exceeds the University, and we're always happy to have them. Doug and his team, and the coaches, have all been great ambassadors of the WFCA. We're very, very excited about this; this is always a fun time of the year for us. Our football coaches really provide the manpower to do all the things behind the scenes, taking care of parking and making sure everybody has what they need so this event can run well."

Added Assistant Director of Athletics, Abby Gildernick: "A centralized location for the state of Wisconsin, and having people come to Oshkosh to see how much our city has to offer, having the (Fox) River right there (due east of) the beautiful Titan Stadium, it's a great atmosphere for college football and it's a great atmosphere for these All-Star games, because you can see stands are full for a reason. It's in that centralized location that provides a great, exciting opportunity for a lot of college coaches to get out here and see future ball players coming to their school."

To contact Lance LeQue, email him at LLeQue@gannett.com , or follow him on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, @LanceLeQue .

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This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: This year's WFCA All-Star Charity Football Games raises over $340,000 for Children's Wisconsin