Orange County All-Star Football Game : Johnson, Owens Are Too Much for South : Quarterback, Lineman Lead North, 30-16

The North ended seven years of frustration in the 26th Orange County All-Star football game by rolling to a 30-16 win over the South Friday night in front of 5,500 fans in Santa Ana Stadium.

The South hadn’t lost in the series in seven years but was never in the game as North quarterback Brett Johnson of El Modena and defensive lineman Dan Owens of La Habra dominated.

Johnson, who will attend Arizona State in the fall, completed 11 of 15 passes for 140 yards in the first half and then watched the second half from the sidelines. He showed how he led El Modena to consecutive Southern Conference titles by repeatedly throwing perfectly timed passes to five different receivers in the game.

“The no-blitzing rule was a definite advantage for a passing team like us,” North Coach Tim Devaney of Sunny Hills said. “In our first couple of series, Brett was the key. Our offensive line gave him the time to throw and we established the passing game.”

It as no surprise that Johnson was named the Offensive Player of the Game. It also wasn’t a surprise that Owens was named the Defensive Player of the Game. As far as South Coach Jerry Witte of Saddleback was concerned, Owens was the best player on the field.

“Dan Owens is the best defensive lineman I’ve ever seen in high school football,” Witte said. “The no blitzing rule really isn’t a factor when you have someone like Dan Owens on your team.”

The standout for the South team was Mater Dei’s Mike Mitchell, a 6-foot 6-inch wide receiver who has opted to play basketball at Fresno State. Mitchell caught 6 passes for 113 yards, including 34 and 10-yard touchdown passes in the second half.

“I really have to wonder about his decision to play basketball,” Devaney said. “He was a force out there tonight. There’s no way you can defend an athlete like him. He was sensational.”

Which was more than one could say for the South offense in the first half. The South sputtered to only 16 total yards and three first downs in the opening half until Witte inserted Irvine quarterback Jeff Bielman in the second half.

The North had a commanding 27-3 lead at halftime. In the half, Johnson scored twice on one-yard runs and teamed with Esperanza wide receiver Keith Pontiflet on a 23-yard touchdown pass play.

The North scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to put the game out of reach. The South managed only three first downs in the opening half as quarterbacks Jud Dutrisac and John Cook combined to compete only 2 of 6 passes for 19 yards between them.

The South’s only score of the half was a 46-yard field goal by Fountain Valley’s Mickey Penaflor, but the South also lost its most effective offensive weapon when Penaflor and Fullerton defensive end Tim Wachholtz were ejected on the play for fighting.

The most impressive play of the first half was a perfectly timed swing pass from Johnson to Pontiflet late in the second quarter that set up the South’s second touch down. Pontiflet caught the ball between two defenders on the South one-yard line, setting up Johnson’s second touchdown.

The game turned into a rout when Owens picked up a Cook fumble and raced 26 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the half. Owens beat Fountain Valley running back Dave Swigart to the end zone to give the North a 27-3 lead and the two-year drought was over. The North had been shut out in the past two meetings of the series.

Owens, the Most Valuable Player in the Freeway League last season, said that the ultimate play for a defensive lineman is to score a touchdown and then described the play.

Said Owens: “It was a draw play and their quarterback missed the handoff. I was wide open on the play and first thought about just falling on the ball. I saw a gap to the end zone and tried to angle to the goal line. The last couple of steps were tough, but somebody (Swigart) tackled me as I reached the end zone and he pushed me in.”