Chadarius Townsend accounted for more than 2,700 yards passing and rushing for Tanner this season.

Chadarius Townsend will have a chance to do something Saturday he didn’t often get to during his four-year career at Tanner.

The senior quarterback will play against the best of the best in the 30th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl. While Tanner played several Class 4A and 5A schools over the last few years, they were limited to just a few games each year while playing seven region games against 2A schools.

Saturday will be a different story for Townsend, who is one of only two players on Alabama’s roster from a 2A school or smaller.

“He represents Tanner well,” said Tanner head coach Laron White. “It will be nice to see what he can do against guys from larger schools. A lot of times, you have to have a chip on your shoulder coming from a small school. You have always proof yourself. We talked about that and he’s done a good job of using that.”

Townsend will become the third player in the history of the program to play in the all-star game, which Alabama has won 21 out of 29 games. Amos Draper and Ryan Powers were the other Tanner players to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game in its 30th year history.

No matter who the opponent was, Townsend brought the same level of consistency to every game this season for the Rattlers.

“He went above what we ask him to this season,” said White. “Most of the time, everything fell on his back and he handled it well. When teams took him away, he didn’t get frustrated. He did a great job and he was a good leader.”

While Townsend started at quarterback the last three years at Tanner, he will have a chance to display his versatility in the all-star game. The 6’1, 183-pound senior has been practicing at safety this week for the Alabama All-Stars. He played mostly cornerback on defense for the Rattlers this season.

Cornerback and wide receiver are the positions Townsend thought he would play a Tanner until he was thrust into the starting QB position when the previous starter was declared ineligible just a few weeks before the season.

“He didn’t get on the field much as a freshman. Then, he came in a 10th grader and started at quarterback,” said White. “This year, his decision making got better. That’s how you want an older guy to mature. He was always working to get better.”

After making the all-state first-team as a junior, Townsend had another stellar season for Tanner, which was eliminated in the third round of the 2A playoffs last month. The Alabama verbal commitment finished the season with 1,481 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. He completed 67 of 101 pass attempts for 1,245 yards and 13 touchdown with eight interceptions.

When he initially committed to Alabama in the summer before his junior season, most thought he would line up somewhere in the secondary for the Tide, as he is Saturday in the All-Star game. But after putting up more than 2,700 yards of total offense and 35 touchdowns, Alabama’s coaching staff want the speedster on offense.

“He is so good with the ball in hands. Guys like that, you have to get the ball to,” said White. “He can score anytime he touches it and I think they saw that. It’s the right thing for him to play offense.”

Kickoff is set for noon with Raycom Media televising the game live over its affiliate stations in both states as well as in Memphis, Tennessee and Columbus, Georgia. The Alabama High School Athletic Association Radio Network will also broadcast the game live.