The annual high school all-star football game for top Minnesota seniors will be played a week after the Prep Bowl and be televised, the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA) and Minnesota Vikings will announce Wednesday.

The changes are part of a newly created Minnesota Football Showcase, a full day of football activities Dec. 3 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The game, at 3 p.m., will be broadcast by KMSP, Ch. 9. Tori Holt and former Minnesota Vikings' linebacker Pete Bercich will be the announcers for the game.

The coaches group had announced in June that the game, traditionally held on the last Saturday in June, would be moved to the Vikings’ new stadium in December, but the partnership with the NFL team brings added wrinkles.

The showcase will feature youth football clinics, performances by high school marching bands, cheer and dance teams, autograph sessions with former Vikings players and appearances by the Vikings cheerleaders and Skol Line.

Jeff Ferguson of Totino-Grace and Mike Grant of Eden Prairie will be the head coaches for the game, which will follow the current format of pitting teams representing the North and South.

The coaches association sponsored 54 previous all-star games and has held one annually since 1974. The game has been played at St. Cloud State University since 2005 with the exception of 20-11, when it was held at TCF Bank Stadium. Moving the game to December has the added advantage of allowing non-committed players to showcase their talents before the NCAA Division I and II signing date of Feb. 1, 2017.

JIM PAULSEN