GILROY—Twenty six years ago, Jeff Garcia was prepping for his last high school football game—the Silicon Valley Youth Classic.
On July 12, the former NFL quarterback opened practice for this year’s All-Star South squad at his alma mater, Gilroy High, with his memories and a resounding message: do whatever your team asks of you to win.
“It’s about taking advantage of the opportunity,” said Garcia, who played defensive back in the 1988 game—one of only three in it’s history to end in a tie (0-0). “You only have small windows in your life of these opportunities to really showcase your ability and create memories that will last a lifetime. … Not everybody can be in their position to play in this game; they’re special in those ways. You need to approach your life like you do football every single day.”
Garcia, a longtime friend of the South team head coach Tim Pierleoni of Christopher, worked closely with the offense. Within minutes, the accuracy between South’s quarterback and his wide receivers—including Christopher’s Rayshon Mills—looked as if they had been playing together for years.
“You start to bond with them—players that you never knew, only heard of and maybe played against. Now you’re becoming that friend, that teammate,” Garcia said. “It was a great week. I just remember really enjoying the opportunity.”
The South County will be well represented in the 40th Annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. July 23 at San Jose City College. With the exception of one, the staff is comprised of coaches from Christopher and Gilroy High Schools—including Mustangs head coach Brian Boyd who will lead the running backs.
Mills will be joined by six other area athletes, including Cougar teammates Andre Arroyo, Mark Riffle and Nate Silva. Brandon Boyd and Julian Carabajal will represent Gilroy, while Andrew Mesa from Sobrato will be the lone Morgan Hill player.
Having this much talent at his fingertips is fun, Pierleoni said, but that doesn’t mean the team is relying on it. The South squad, who had six practices remaining as of presstime, is working hard to prepare for its one shot at the North team.
“It’s a one-game deal, so a lot of times there’s adjustments during the game,” Pierleoni said. “You don’t really know exactly what’s going to come. … It’s almost like the first game of a season. We don’t even really get a scrimmage film out of it. It’s an All-Star game, so we’re going to let the kids play and be all-stars and try to put them in the best position to be productive at what they all do.”
In games like this, the defense tends to have the advantage while the offense often needs time to adjust to its new plays. Pierleoni said he’s hopeful the system will be second nature for his offensive players come game time.
“We’re trying to get to a point where these kids aren’t thinking, so they can just get after it,” he said. “Usually in a game like this, defenses kind of sets the tone—we’re going to try not to let that happen. They’re pretty athletic kids on both sides of the ball. The other team is going to be very athletic; they’re being coached by a very good coaching staff and they’re going to work hard every day. It’s going to be a challenge; it’s a challenge and it’s exciting.”
You only have small windows in your life of these opportunities to really showcase your ability and create memories that will last a lifetime.”
Tickets are $20 at the gate or can be purchased ahead of time for $15. For a list of locations or for more information, visit youthclassic.org.
