”
I definitely see a few friendships coming from this,
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Gilroy safety Jordan Holler said.
”
It was a lot of fun being a part of this.
”
SAN JOSE – No matter what position he played, Dylan Frechette just wanted to help his team win.
He had the opportunity to do so Wednesday in the 36th annual Charlie Wedemeyer Game as cornerback and placekicker for the South County All-Stars. Frechette delivered on both fronts.
The stoic Live Oak graduate couldn’t stand still on the Spartan Stadium turf after his 35-yard field goal with 4:32 remaining helped the South rise again, finally, in the high school-football summer spectacle and beat the North 27-24. Frechette also forced a fumble from his cornerback spot, tackling Kwanzaa Striplin of Milpitas, to end the North’s opening drive, and made a 42-yard field goal during the first quarter and four PATs to become Morgan Hill’s highest scorer in the Silicon Valley Youth Classic since 1997.
“It feels awesome. It’s an unbelievable feeling to have a game like this,” Frechette said. “I couldn’t ask for more in my last high school game.”
Frechette dreamed his prep career would end this way. Every kicker does. He had pictured himself making the game-winning field goal since the start of the second half when Santa Teresa coach and South co-defensive coordinator Nick Alfano of Morgan Hill told Frechette the game was probably going to come down to him.
Four plays after Leland wideout Ryan Smith hauled in a 42-yard pass from Piedmont Hill’s Joshua McCain at the left sideline, Frechette trotted out to the right hash mark and buried his kick high with room to spare.
“That was beautiful,” said Live Oak inside linebacker Michael Singleton, who got in on a few tackles. “I gave him a pat on the back before he went out, but I didn’t need to tell him anything. He was good to go.”
History has nothing to do with once-in-a-lifetime events, but facts are facts.
The South entered the game on a five-year winless streak against the North, including a thrilling but thwarted effort in the 2009 edition that ended 28-28.
South coach Mike Carrozzo of Leland “knew nothing about” his team’s recent struggles in the high school-football summer showcase. He did know this year’s group was special.
“There wasn’t any bad blood between them at practice. They came every day ready to work hard to win this game,” Carrozzo said. “They treated each other like friends, like teammates. They have something special to share now.”
You would think they have been playing together for years. After Ronnie Isles of Hill converted a fourth-and-seven on a reverse with one minute, 55 seconds remaining, and McCain kneeled three times to end it, South players broke out into a wild celebration that included dancing and impromptu 40-yard races – these were the best prep football players in Santa Clara County.
“This is what happens when you go out and just have fun,” said McCain, who had 36 yards rushing and completed 10 of 15 for 118 yards and two touchdown passes.
The South did not rest until it was over. The North’s offense, led by St. Francis’ Kyle Miller who threw for 174 yards in 10-of-15 passing and Los Gatos’ Andrew Berg whose six catches amassed 213 yards receiving and two touchdowns, scored at will in the middle quarters but was turned away in the fourth.
Miller put the North on the board with a 1-yard sneak early in the second quarter, and Los Altos QB Tim Vanneman connected with Berg on a 85-yard catch-and-run seven plays later, pushing the North ahead 14-10.
Rolling out, Miller found Berg on a 6-yard scoring strike to tie it at 24 with 2:14 left in the third quarter.
“Their offense was very tough to stop,” Sobrato cornerback Ralph Jackson said. “With the offense we had, we just had to keep them from scoring. We did a good job against them in the fourth quarter.”
For some of the South players, it was a crowning victory to build off at the next level and beyond. For others, it was the perfect way to go out. Wherever their playing careers go from here, the South All-Stars will have at least one ice-breaker in store the next time they cross paths, a win that is theirs alone.
“I definitely see a few friendships coming from this,” Gilroy safety Jordan Holler said. “It was a lot of fun being a part of this.”
