All-star football: South brings total package, 23-10

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - In an Orange County All-Star Football Game that

featured a little bit of everything, it may have been the area in which

the South allowed next to nothing that paved the way to a 23-10 victory

Friday night before 7,000 at Orange Coast College.

The South’s defense, particularly its defensive front, surrendered

just 17 rushing yards in 20 attempts, forcing the North into a

one-dimensional attack that, even with the electric talents of Notre

Dame-bound Kennedy High product Rhema McKnight, couldn’t keep up with a

more balanced South attack.

“This was a good All-Star Game,” said victorious South Coach Bob

Johnson, whose opinion carries added weight, since this was the third

time he’s guided the Rebels in the annual summer showcase. “I thought we

had a lot of spark tonight and I thought they had some spark, too. This

one tonight was good for this game.”

The 33 combined points was the most in the contest perennially

dominated by defense, since the 1989 game ended in a 17-17 tie. Johnson

also coached the South to a 21-7 win in 1988, after his first stint in

the game produced a scoreless deadlock in 1983.

Ironically, it was the North defense that appeared to be capable of

continuing the all-defense trend, ending the South’s first two

possessions with interceptions, both by Joey Garcia, out of Los Alamitos

High.

The North cashed in the second pick with a 46-yard field goal by Nock

Coromelas (Los Alamitos) to open the scoring with 4:55 left in the first

quarter.

The South, for which Newport Harbor products Brian Gaeta (reciever)

and Jeff Marshall (guard) both started on offense, bounced back with a

four-play touchdown drive that began and ended with dazzling runs.

Nick Garton (Dana Hills) opened the possession by returning a kickoff

45 yards to his own 48-yard line. Turill Engelman bolted 23 yards into

North territory on the second play of explosive drive, which was capped

when Robbie Dubois ran right, cut back left and followed a well-executed

downfield block by Gaeta into the end zone for a 23-yard TD that put the

South on top with 3:06 left in the quarter. Stephen Berneking, added the

conversion kick.

Two of the North’s next three possessions ended in turnovers as Adam

Hayward (Marina) returned an interception 33 yards to his own 45, then

Mike Davis (Irvine) recovered a fumble at the North 13 that set up a 24-yard Berneking field goal.

The North, led by quarterback Kevin Brown, went 86 yards on five plays

to tie the game, as Brown’s fourth straight completion of the march was a

31-yard bomb for a TD to Adam Stayberg (Villa Park).

The second half began with B. Jay Parsons (Woodbridge) recovering a

fumble on the first play from scrimmage at the North 17 and, four plays

later, Berneking cashed in for three points from 32 yards out.

With Marshall and Corona del Mar product Steven Russell (also a guard)

performing well in the trenches, the South went 59 yards on five plays to

take a 20-10 lead.

Colt Brennan (Mater Dei) threw a 10-yard scoring slant to Akilah Lacey

(Westminster) to double the North output with 6:47 left in the third

period.

With South quarterback Morgan Craig (4 for 10 for 63 yards, without an

interception, at the controls, the South drove 31 yards to set up

Berneking’s 33-yard field goal with 5:30 left to complete the scoring.

Craig, who played the second and fourth quarters, had completions of

22 and 21 yards.

Gaeta missed a chance for further glory when he fielded a lateral pass

from Craig, then threw perfectly to a wide-open Julien Petit on a

double-pass attempt deep into North territory late in the first half. But

North defensive back Steve Stagnaro, closed on Petit in time to break up

the pass.

McKnight, a late addition to the game, was spectacular in his limited

touches. He finished with six receptions for 101 yards, including a

diving 42-yard grab, two rushes for a team-high 16 yards and 110 yards on

three kick returns. He was the Offensive Player of the game.

“(McKnight) was everything everyone said he was,” Johnson said.

Four North quarterbacks produced 220 passing yard (13 of 24), while the South had 133 yards passing and 101 on the ground, paced by 57 from

Engelman and 444 from Dubois.

Fountain Valley lineman Kelly Talavou was the Defensive Player of the

Game.

The victory ended a two-year North winning streak and shaved the North

lead to 22-18-3 in the series.