Orange County All-Star Football Game : Christensen Has a Winning Finale

John Christensen’s final game as a running back was a memorable one Friday night in the 28th Orange County All-Star football game.

Christensen scored the only touchdown of the game on an 80-yard run in the third quarter as the North posted a 7-0 victory over the South in front of 7,000 in Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium.

It marked the first victory of the year for Christensen, a multi-talented player at Kennedy High School who played on teams that won only four games in three years. Last fall, Kennedy was 0-10.

But he erased some bitter memories with one shift run through the South defense with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter as the North improved to 16-11-1 in the series.

“You couldn’t ask for anything better than that,” Christensen said. “All I wanted was a chance. There couldn’t have been a bigger hole. The play broke open and all there was nothing but green grass to the end zone.”

The play was a trap out of the Delaware Wing-T with offensive guard Dan Price of Western providing the key block. Christensen finished with 101 yards in 7 carries and was named the game’s top offensive player. He plans to move to defensive back at Fullerton College next season.

“We proved that you can run the ball in an all-star game,” said Mark McMahon, North coach. “This was great for a kid like Christensen. Of course, it didn’t hurt to get a great defensive effort.”

The North’s defense, led by cornerback Mike Hirou of Servite and linebacker John Thompson of El Modena, limited the South’s potent passing game to only 107 yards and staged a goal-line stand late in the third quarter to turn back the South’s most serious scoring threat.

The South had a first down at the North’s eight-yard line, but two running plays gained only two yards and then South quarterback Mike Henderson failed to complete two passes.

Hirou had the big defensive play, knocking down a pass intended for 6-foot 6-inch receiver Mark Craig in the end zone. Hirou deflected four passes and was named the defensive player of the game.

“We knew that as soon as they ran Craig into the game, that they were going to him, so we lined up Hirou against him,” McMahon said. “We’ve said all along that Hirou was the stud of our secondary. They picked on the wrong guy.”

The South blew another scoring opportunity early in the third quarter after linebacker Jim Kniest of Corona del Mar blocked a punt by Scott Edmunds of Sunny Hills, giving the South a first down at the North 22-yard line.

But the North limited the South to five yards in three plays, and South placekicker J.B. Hollis missed a 33-yard field goal attempt on fourth down.

“That missed field goal was a real letdown for us,” said Greg Shadid, South coach. “You have to give the North credit. They played great defense, but then I thought we did, too. They caught us off-guard with that trap for a touchdown, but otherwise, the game was pretty even.”

The game’s most consistent player was Cypress running back Blaise Bryant, who gained 78 yards in 17 carries, earning several first downs for the ball-control North offense.

“Blaise did a great job,” McMahon said. “Some had questioned his attitude, but he was a pleasure to coach. He thought he broke his finger in the first half, but it was just a dislocation.”

The victory capped quite a year for McMahon. Last fall, he guided Orange High to a league title in his first season after the Panthers were 0-10 the previous season.

“This was a beautiful year with a beautiful ending for me,” he said.