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The long wait is over. Sort of.
After coming up on the short end of the score the previous eight years, the South squad prevented that from happening again Saturday in the 34th annual Alex Spanos All-Star Classic.
But a late North touchdown and two-point conversion kept the South from notching its first victory since 2015 as the two squads battled to a 14-14 stalemate at Mira Mesa High School.
Wide receiver Jathan Bejarano of El Camino High School made a leaping catch in the end zone of a 9-yard pass from quarterback Joe Vinup of Oceanside with 3:13 remaining in the fourth quarter to close what had been an eight-point South lead to two. Vinup completed six straight passes to finish off the game-tying series, including back-to-back completions of 18 and 30 yards to receiver Conner Hawk of Carlsbad to set up the touchdown.
The North scoring drive was kept alive by a defensive holding penalty which erased an apparent interception by St. Augustine safety Charlie Berkley. When Mission Hills running back Giovanni Harte ran through the South line for the two-point conversion, the game was tied at 14-14.
The South had three more possessions in the final three minutes, but they were ended by two punts and an incomplete pass from the North 44-yard line on the final play of the contest. The North had two more possessions, both ended by incomplete passes on fourth down.
”It was fun getting out there and putting on the pads again,” said Hawk, who finished with eight receptions for 103 yards and also threw a touchdown pass in the first half for the North’s only other score while earning his team’s most valuable player award.
“It was also good to meet new people and get to know them on a deeper level other than just playing football against them.”Prior to the North knotting up the score, the South had taken a 14-6 lead following a fumble recovery by Otay Ranch defensive tackle Diego Martinez.
Three plays after Martinez secured a botched handoff by the North at its own 1-yard line,
El Capitan quarterback Brandt Barker found San Diego wide receiver Jayden Wade in the middle of the end zone for a 1-yard TD pass with 7:39 remaining in the final quarter.
”It was really great to have the chance to go up against players as talented as these guys,” said Martinez, who was named the South’s MVP and will be suiting up for San Diego State next season.
”It was a lot of fun to coach these guys, and we played lights out on defense,” said South coach Kellan Cobbs of Granite Hills.
”We only had four days of practice with so many guys being in the playoffs, and we had some zoom meetings, but everyone played hard.”
North head coach Mitchell Donnelly of Westview also had a chance to bond with new players.
”It was a great group of kids,” Donnelly said.
“They came together as a family and that’s hard to do in such a short time.”
Following a scoreless first period which included a 47-yard field-goal attempt by the North which fell short, the South took over at its own 20-yard line following the missed kick.
An 11-play scoring drive ensued, with the series kept alive by pass completions of 13 and 10 yards from Barker to Steele Canyon receiver Austin Haisch.
Another completion of 12 yards to Grossmont receiver Joshua Herber gave the South a first and goal at the 4-yard line, and Granite Hills running back Max Turner went over left tackle from there for the first score of the contest with 9:26 remaining in the second period.
Another field-goal attempt by the North drifted wide left from 36 yards with 5:12 left in the half, but the North defense forced the South to punt two minutes later.
Following another exchange of punts, a 19-yard punt return by Jathan Bejarano of El Camino set up the North at the South 30-yard line with 27 seconds left in the half.
Three plays later, including a 17-yard scramble by Oceanside quarterback Joe Vinup, the North lined up for an apparent 25-yard field goal attempt.
An encroachment penalty against the South advanced the ball to the 4-yard line, and the North sent the offense back onto the field with 5 seconds showing on the clock.
Harte took a direct snap in the Wildcat formation, and he handed off to Hawk coming around from the end.
Hawk then pulled up and tossed a 4-yard scoring pass to receiver Colton Thomas of Carlsbad. The point-after kick missed to the left, leaving the North trailing by 7-6 at the intermission.
Among the defensive standouts for the North were defensive lineman Will Schreckengaust of Torrey Pines and linebacker Daniel Stehly of Valley Center, both of whom were in on numerous tackles. Fort the South, defensive lineman Kingston Schaaf of Eastlake and linebacker Brady Eads of Christan repeatedly made their presence known.
Stehly and Eads were also co-captains for their respective teams.
The tie was the first in the history of the Spanos All-Star Classic since its inception in 1991.
South 14, North 14
South 0 7 0 7 – 14North 0 6 0 8 – 14
S – Turner 4 run (Whillock kick)N – Thomas 4 pass from Hawk (kick failed)S – Wade 1 pass from Barker (Whillock kick)N – Bejarano 9 pass from Vinup (Harte run
Originally Published:
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