The outcome of the 33rd Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football game
came down to the final minutes, with South Valley representatives
taking part from beginning to end.
By Paul Doherty Staff Writer
San Jose – The outcome of the 33rd Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football game came down to the final minutes, with South Valley representatives taking part from beginning to end.
Red Bull energy drink skydivers descended upon Spartan Stadium to deliver the game ball at the 50-yard-line to Charlie Wedemeyer, the game’s name sake. Wedemeyer coached Los Gatos High School after an illustrious prep career in Hawaii and his college career at Michigan State. In 1978, while he was the head football coach at Los Gatos High School, Wedemeyer was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
Gilroy’s Paul Gonzales did not play in the game despite being listed on the initial South squad roster.
The South All-Stars mounted a third quarter comeback to tie the game 21-21, before losing 24-21 on a late field goal.
The North All-Stars scored the first touchdown with 5:35 left in the first quarter on a 10-yard pass from Monte Vista quarterback Alex Atkins to Los Gatos wide receiver Dave Martini.
On the ensuing kickoff, the South’s Kevin Gonzalez, from Bellarmine, picked up the ball at the 16-yard-line and weaved his way 84 yards for a touchdown.
The South squad responded by taking a 13-7 lead to end the first quarter.
At the 7:25 mark of the second quarter, on second-and-third down, Live Oak’s Kevin Abbott caught a pass from Oak Grove quarterback Kevin Vye and sprinted 10 yards for a 22-yard pick-up and first down. On the next play, Abbott took a handoff from Vye for a 16 yard gain and another first down.
Three plays later, the North’s Tyler Dimich from Milpitas High picked off a pass from Vye and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown giving the North a 14-13 advantage.
With approximately two minutes left in the second quarter, the North All-Stars would strike again on a 38-yard pass from from Palo Alto quarterback Nick Goodspeed to Prospect’s Kendall Hendon. AFter the extra point the North held a 21-13 advantage.
South All-Star quarterback Daniel Cruz from Piedmont Hills would connect with Bellarmine’s Kevin Gonzalez on a first-and-goal from the four-yard-line to bring the score within two points, 21-19. The South then successfully converted the two-point conversion as Cruz found tight end Anthony Schimdt from Valley Christian in the end zone.
The game remained tied through the third quarter and up to the 8:59 mark in the fourth.
That’s when the North’s all-around kicker Kevin Blakely nailed a 45-yard field goal on a fourth-and-18 to reclaim the lead for good for the North, 24-21.
The South squad would advance into North territory but were unable to score again.
On the second to last play of the game with 1:59 on the clock, Live Oak’s Victor Kalata made a big tackle stopping the North’s momentum down the field, however, the North was able to run out the clock and claim victory.
Kalata, who will be playing running back at Gavilan College next fall, was surprised with the pace of the game.
“It was tons of fun, but a lot quicker than I expected,” Kalata said. “Good luck to the Live Oak guys who get this opportunity next year, because I know there will be a few of them.”
