All-Star games rarely live up to the potential of the players
partaking.
But Wednesday’s 34th Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football,
which didn’t begin to heat up until the sun started to set behind
the west end of Spartan Stadium, proved to be an exception to the
unwritten rule (Of course, I just wrote that sentence, so I guess
it is written. Let’s move on.) Trading scores up until the final
minutes of the contest, the North squad and the South – which
featured seven of South County’s finest – ended in a tie at 28-all,
leaving some players satisfied and others disgusted, as if they had
just been told to kiss their sister.
”
When I look up at that scoreboard, I just think, ‘eww,’
”
said Gilroy receiver Dante Fullard, who snagged two touchdowns
thrown by fellow Mustang Jamie Jensen.
Fullard seemed to be one of the few who walked away from the
game unfulfilled. Certainly, the fans got what they paid for.
All-Star games rarely live up to the potential of the players partaking.
But Wednesday’s 34th Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football, which didn’t begin to heat up until the sun started to set behind the west end of Spartan Stadium, proved to be an exception to the unwritten rule (Of course, I just wrote that sentence, so I guess it is written. Let’s move on.) Trading scores up until the final minutes of the contest, the North squad and the South – which featured seven of South County’s finest – ended in a tie at 28-all, leaving some players satisfied and others disgusted, as if they had just been told to kiss their sister.
“When I look up at that scoreboard, I just think, ‘eww,'” said Gilroy receiver Dante Fullard, who snagged two touchdowns thrown by fellow Mustang Jamie Jensen.
Fullard seemed to be one of the few who walked away from the game unfulfilled. Certainly, the fans got what they paid for.
Aside from several missed opportunities to score in the first-quarter and some substitution miscues by the South in the fourth, the game ended up being a brilliant display of teamwork and athleticism, the highest high school football can offer in this area and most likely on par or above others around the country. Three breakaway touchdowns of more than 50 yards, five lead changes, three moments in which the game was tied and a blocked kick with 15 seconds remaining to keep the score at a draw – the game showed once again no sport matches the intensity and excitement of football in this country, even in the summer time.
Gilroy was represented in the contest by a school record five players (Fullard, Jensen, Ray Gonzales, Richie Sotelo and Tony Travis), while Morgan Hill had each of its high schools making contributions to the cause in the form of Live Oak’s Jeff Blean and Sobrato’s Alex Meldrum.
The game has been summarized in excellent fashion by my colleague Scott Adams, so let me just offer some brief observations:
n It’s no surprise that the South’s offense was nearly impossible to stop once Jensen got into a groove. With Fullard and Jabari Carr at the outside receiver positions, and the North curiously choosing to go bump-and-run, Jensen floated the ball over the top with ease for three touchdowns. South coach Mike Machado of Valley Christian tried to pound the ball early, which may have kept the game closer than it should have been.
“If we had thrown a little more, it would have been more like 45-28,” Carr said.
n While it’s not uncommon to see a quarterback/receiver combo hook up in an All-Star game after all the chemistry that’s been built over the years, having three players from the same school touch the ball in a single play and have two of them go for scores is unique. Playing center, Gonzales snapped the ball to Jensen, who then dropped back and found Fullard. Jensen’s comfort level with Fullard might only be rivaled by that of the connection he has with Gonzales.
“Ray did a great job blocking. I can really trust that guy with my life,” Jensen said.
n Travis had to have the hit of the game with just under two minutes left in the third quarter. Coming up from the secondary, he lit up Leigh’s Ethan Cosgrove on a slant route over the middle. It’s worth noting, though, that Cosgrove held on to the ball and made an excellent 47-yard catch and run on the very next play.
n Meldrum might have had the toughest assignment of anyone to take the field. Lined up at cornerback opposite Milpitas receiver Chris Albright several times, the 175-pound Meldrum was giving up about four inches to one of the top-five players in Wednesday’s game. Meldrum did hold his own for the most part, though, recording three tackles.
n Blean and Sotelo didn’t see as much time on the field as the others, which is bound to happen when you have so many talented guys in uniform and only a certain number of positions to fill. It might not be a bad idea to extend the game to 15-minute quarters in the future to make sure everyone gets equal time. Sotelo was more than ready to keep playing after the game, saying he was still fresh.
n It’s always refreshing to hear about rivals becoming friendly over the course of All-Star practices. Gilroy and Oak Grove had a one-sided but intense rivalry going the last couple years, but players got to know each other better and bonded over the last few weeks.
“We were kind of close before, but not as much as now,” Carr said.
The same could go for Blean and Meldrum. Getting Live Oak and Sobrato players to line up on the same field with a common goal in mind isn’t exactly a common occurrence.
n For all the talent in the contest, it’s surprising that so many players around the area will be attending junior colleges rather than four-year schools. Similar to Gavilan products Jeff Garcia (Gilroy) and Jeff Ulbrich (Morgan Hill), who both played in Wedemeyer’s game following their prep careers, on down to the guys who wore their high school colors for the last time Wednesday, I have little doubt at least a dozen will be playing big-time college ball in a couple years.
Fullard said it best when asked what he thought of playing his last “high school” game.
“I know my football career is not gonna end here.”
