Prep Stars in Shrine Game Tonight : North, With Big Offensive Line, Faces South at Rose Bowl

The North returns, complete with a rap song in their hearts and a professional bodyguard on their defensive line, determined to prove again that the state’s best high school football is played above the California Mason-Dixon line, in this case Bakersfield.

They have obviously been waiting a long time for the 36th Shrine All-Star game, tonight at 7 in the Rose Bowl, for this is the North’s chance to be seen--and heard--by the more-publicized South.

Last year, the North tied the South, 3-3, in a game that was as surprisingly close as it was dull. Unofficially, many players considered it a victory for the North, the Little Team that Could.

This time, they are the team that easily could win, and not just because Andre Farr, the UCLA-bound defense tackle from Kennedy High in Richmond who has worked the past two summers on tour as a bodyguard for Run-D.M.C., wraps running backs and raps music.

North tri-coaches John Fanucchi of Garces Memorial in Bakersfield, Mike Koontz of Napa Vintage and Ron Stockberger of San Ramon Monte Vista have top talent at most every position. That includes an offensive line averaging 6 feet 4 1/2 inches and 250 pounds.

Offensive lineman Micheal Moody of San Francisco Washington, who will play at USC, is 6-7 and 270. Frank Griffin of Cordova is at tight end, Kevin Smith of Oakland Skyline is at fullback, Ryan Shea of Sacramento El Camino and Farr are on the defensive line. Pat McPherson of San Jose Bellarmine is at linebacker and Tuan Van Le of Concord De La Salle is in the secondary.

Le, the Northern California Player of the Year who is bound for Stanford, and the other defensive backs have been promised more than their share of attention. That notice comes from South coaches Armando Gonzales of Franklin, Bob Johnson of El Toro and Bill Redell of Encino Crespi, who plan to take advantage of strong-armed quarterbacks Jim Bonds of Newhall Hart and Ken Sollom of Canyon Country Canyon early and often.

“We’ll throw the ball a lot,” said Johnson, who coached El Toro to the Southern Conference title and the No. 1 spot in the season-ending City/Southern Section rankings. “We’ve got great running backs, so they’ll be highlighted a lot, but we will pass more than we run.

“This will be a high-scoring game. I really believe that. I think an all-star game should be something like 41-40. I’d rather have that than 6-3, even if we’re the ones with the 40.”

Bonds and Sollom, who combined to pass for 68 touchdowns and more than 6,000 yards last season, figure to alternate quarters. They have plenty of targets: Eric Bieniemy of La Puente Bishop Amat, Leonard Russell of Long Beach Poly and George Hemingway of Colton in the backfield, tight end John Carpenter of Crespi and wide receivers Patrick Rowe of San Diego Lincoln, Paul Richardson of L.A. University and Kelvin Means of Bellflower St. John Bosco. Brian Kelly of South Torrance anchors the offensive line.

Shrine Notes The South leads the series, 12-7, with 4 ties, in the statewide format. From 1974-85, it was a Southern California-only affair. . . . Prime Ticket will televise the game on a delayed basis Thursday night at 7:30. . . . Astronaut Buzz Aldrin will serve as the game’s grand marshal. . . . Four former players will be inducted into the Shrine Hall of Fame at halftime: Dwayne Allen, Daryle Lamonica, Marv Fleming and Mel Profit. Allen played in the 1956 game, the others in ’59. . . . Steve Lee, the All-Southern Section linebacker from Fontana, dislocated his shoulder during one of the first South practices and will miss the game. El Toro running back Aly Diaz took his spot on the roster. The only other switch is linebacker Chris Rising in for his former Loyola teammate, lineman David Matter, who is sidelined with mononucleosis.

Possibly the best player in the state isn’t playing. Russell White of Crespi, the Big Five Conference Player of the Year last season, starts his junior season in September. “I wouldn’t say a bad thing about any of these kids,” said Crespi Coach Bill Redell, one of the tri-coaches tonight for the South. “They’re all major college kids. But they’re just not in the same class as Russell White. He’s in a class by himself.”