On Sunday, they will be honored by the Colts.

The Colts, in conjunction with the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Indiana Football Coaches Association, on Sunday will cite 24 outstanding student-athletes with an award called the 2006 Indiana High School Academic All-Stars.

The citation, now in its eighth year, comes two weeks before the Indiana high school football championship games, which will take place Thanksgiving weekend in the RCA Dome.

Culver Military Academy's Andy Parchman and 23 other Academic All-Stars will be honored Sunday morning, then presented at halftime of the Colts-Buffalo Bills game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

“On behalf of Jim Irsay and the Irsay family, and with deep appreciation for the IHSAA and the IFCA, the Colts are pleased to honor 24 outstanding football players who represent their families and schools in an outstanding manner,” Colts President Bill Polian said.

“The dedication it takes to be an excellent achiever in the classroom and on the playing field is something that goes unnoticed too often. This award honors those young men who carry themselves with dignity, integrity and a sense of purpose.

“They, like many other students, possess the values cherished in young adults. We are pleased to identify these individuals, and it will be an honor to recognize them on our playing field this Sunday.”

Said Mark A. Miller, athletic director and head football coach at Rochester High School and a past IFCA president, “On behalf of the IFCA, this is a great opportunity to honor another group of outstanding high school student-athletes around the State of Indiana. This is what the IFCA is all about, and we thank the coaches and parents who helped shape the lives of these young men. Everyone I have talked with about this program is excited about the Indianapolis Colts’ participation with high schools.

“We look forward to this being a long-lasting mutual relationship.”

The honorees on offense:

Wide receiver Mitch Huber (Bremen), wide receiver James Woodicka (West Lafayette), wide receiver Matt Burkhart (Lewis Cass), offensive lineman Ben Craw (Muncie South), offensive lineman Tyler Mason (Fort Wayne Snider), offensive lineman Michael Theising (Evansville Memorial), offensive lineman Drake Sayre (Alexandria), offensive lineman Matthew Ostendorf (Zionsville), quarterback Andrew Wiand (South Bend Riley), running back Brad Ellington (Warren Central), running back Joel Hungate (Eastern Hancock) and kicker Cory Anderson (Oak Hill).

On defense:

Defensive lineman Austin Fischer (East Noble), defensive lineman Marty Pritchett (Lapel), defensive lineman Cory Holloway (Yorktown), linebacker Nick Yoder (Concord), linebacker Reid Smith (Vincennes Lincoln), linebacker Keeton Zartman (Fairfield), linebacker Evan Bowman (Southwood), defensive back Kyler Gray (Shenandoah), defensive back Andy Parchman (Culver Military Academy), defensive back Mike Conway (Carmel), defensive back David Zimmer (Angola) and punter Cody Bearden (McCutcheon).

The IFCA polled high school head coaches around the state, and the coaches drew from approximately 80 players who ranked in the top five percent of their respective classes. The selection committee then narrowed the list to 24 winners.

Twenty of the 24 honorees are either class valedictorian (18) or salutatorian (2).

Eight of the 10 high-school regions throughout the state have an award-winner, and each of the state’s five classifications is represented.

Culver Note:

Parchman '07 will be receiving two awards on Sunday at the Colts game. Along with the all-state academic honor from the Colts, he will be recognized as one of the 20 state finalists in the Wendy's High School Heisman program.