Five area football players will be competing in the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic on Thursday at Nazareth High School’s Andy Leh Stadium.

Northern Lehigh will be sending three players to the annual contest, which pits senior standouts from Northampton County against their counterparts from Lehigh, Carbon and Monroe counties.

The Bulldogs named to the Red squad include linebacker Joseph Abidelli, offensive lineman JD Hunter, and defensive lineman Josh Schaffer.

Other area players on the Red team include Palmerton offensive lineman Timothy Iles, and Pleasant Valley linebacker Jared Salazar.

The Red squad will be coached by Allen’s George Clay, while Wilson’s Chris Labatch will lead the Gold team.

This marks the 50th year of the all-star classic. Last year’s contest was cancelled due to the pandemic. The Red team won the last game in 2019 by a 28-14 score.

Kickoff for Thursday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.