First off, much thanks and praise go out to Todd Goldbeck for founding the Upper Peninsula Football All-Star Game. We can only imagine the work that has gone into making this game a smashing success year after year.

Earlier this month, Goldbeck sent out an email to a wide range of media, football officials, contributors and others interested in high school football announcing that he was pulling back from organizing the game he began — technically he called restarting it — in 2008.

He left open the possibility the game might continue.

A few days later, Dustin Brancheau, owner of AdvantEdge Sports Training in Marquette, said he would take over organization of the annual game — plus the events surrounding it — usually it takes place in late June at the Superior Dome in Marquette.

For those unfamiliar, this year’s edition was typical of the game, bringing 80 to 90 players and around 12 to 15 coaches from one end of the U.P. to the other to celebrate high school senior players who just graduated. For most of them, it was so they could suit up in their game gear one more time before hanging it up for good.

When he founded the event, Goldbeck started a peninsula-wide all-star football game that hadn’t been held since 1950. Even more, he not only organized a game, but a week full of activities leading up to the event, and later a draft of the players by game’s coaches several months before the game is played.

Goldbeck said about the change “I am pleased to announce that the game will continue. … I have had several conversations with Dustin Brancheau, owner of AdvantEdge Sports Training in Marquette, about his desire to keep the game going and take it over.

“Dustin had the best interests of U.P. football in mind when he proposed to take the game over and ask for my help and endorsement. After these conversations, I am confident that Dustin will do a great job with the event moving forward. Please give him the same level of support that you gave me over the past 16 years.

“He will no doubt put his own signature on the game, so please be patient with him as he finds his way through the process. I will help him as much as he wants and needs, but there is no question that he is in charge now and will do things his own way.”

Brancheau said: “The game falls in line with one of my major ‘whys’ at AdvantEdge — making sure U.P. athletes have opportunities to showcase what they can do,” Brancheau said. “Losing this game would mean missing out on that opportunity. It won’t be easy, it will be a team effort and we will lean heavily on the people and coaches that have been a part of this game from the start.”

Brancheau envisions the all-star game continuing much along the lines that Goldbeck led it.

“Anticipation runs high as we keep this game alive.”

Indeed, we appreciate Brancheau stepping up to save one of the U.P.’s favorite events and as Goldbeck requests, we hope he finds much support in his efforts.