Walter Stith’s trek to the National Football league continued Saturday as he participated in the Cornerstone Bancard Hula Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii and helped the East All-Stars win 10-7.

Stith got an opportunity to show his skills in front of NFL scouts in a game that has historically attracted future NFL stars like Deion Sanders, Dan Marino and Troy Aikman. Heisman winners like Paul Hornung in 1957, Tony Dorsett in 1977 and Rick Williams in 1999 have all won game MVP. The Hula Bowl has also had 12 current NFL Hall of Famers and a handful of future inductees win game MVP over its 60-year history.

Stith, an Atlanta native and Western Michigan transfer, got a chance to take on players from the USC and the national champion Texas Longhorns as well as players from traditional college powerhouses like Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Iowa and Florida.

The former college TE showed he could hold hid own against top notch talent as he watched Brett Elliott’s blind side on the East’s only touchdown drive of the day and even participated in the end zone celebration with East All-Star and former Central Florida WR Brandon Marshall, who grabbed most of the spotlight during the game. The five-play, 76-yard drive was one of the few offensive bright spots in what ended up as a defensive struggle.

Although the game’s attendance was sparse in Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium, Stith undoubtedly made an impression in the minds of NFL scouts. With his 6’9. 310-pound frame, the NFL picture is becoming a bit clearer as he hopes to join the list of current Aggies in the NFL including cornerback Curtis Deloatch of the New York Giants, offensive tackle Qasim Mitchell of the Chicago Bears, running back Maurice Hicks of the San Francisco 49ers, cornerback Jason Horton and offensive lineman Junius “Juice” Coston of the Green Bay Packers. Coston was a fifth round, 143rd overall selection of the team in last year’s NFL Draft after a successful career at A&T.

This years game featured a mix of small school gems like Brett Elliott, a quarterback from Division III Linfield College and North Texas’ Patrick Cobbs and players from big time programs who were overlooked on their own team. One such player was Texas defensive tackle Larry Dibbles, who got overlooked because of All-American Rodrique Wright on the line with him.

• Mike McCray