Kicking Tryout Picks Winner for San Diego : Torrey Pines Fullback Walker Makes 39-Yarder at the End to Beat Los Angeles Section, 17-14

With 8 seconds to play and the game tied, 14-14, in the second College Prep All-Star Football Game Saturday night, Tim Walker lined up for a 39-yard field goal.

Walker, a fullback from Torrey Pines High School, wasn’t selected to the team for his ability as a placekicker. But when the San Diego Section coaches held a tryout to find out what they had at that position, it took Walker just one extra point attempt to win the job.

Walker proved the selection correct, drilling a low line drive that barely cleared the crossbar to give the San Diego Section All-Stars a 17-14 victory over the Los Angeles City Section team in front of an estimated 5,000 people at Mesa College’s Merrill Douglas Stadium.

The winning kick was set up by a personal foul penalty on Keith Wiggins of Los Angeles Franklin after Lincoln quarterback Freddie Stokes passed 5 yards to Morse’s Melvin Maxwell, putting the ball at the Los Angeles 40 with 8 seconds left. The penalty from the point of the infraction put San Diego on the 29.

Wiggins had dropped a possible interception on the previous play.

Los Angeles, which was beaten, 26-19, last season, had tied the game, 14-14, with 4:32 to play and was in position to win after a 16-yard punt by Maxwell gave them the ball at the San Diego 33. But on the next play, Gardena’s Derrick Duren fumbled, and Morse’s Sam Cooper recovered for San Diego with 1:06 to play.

San Diego, which had just three second-half first downs, moved slowly in seven plays before the penalty.

San Diego took a 14-6 lead with 9:44 left in the third quarter when Walker, the offensive player of the game, crunched over from 2 yards out. Walker helped set up the score by taking a screen pass from Stokes 31 yards to the Los Angeles 4 on third and 9.

Stokes ran the play to perfection, suckering five Los Angeles defenders after him as he dropped back nearly 20 yards from the line of scrimmage before dumping the pass to Walker, who ran down the sideline.

After Lincoln’s Darrin Wagner went two yards, Walker slipped in behind Vista guard Clarence Loa. Walker added the extra point.

With just under 12 minutes to play, San Diego had an opportunity to put the game away. Freddie Spears of El Camino intercepted a pass attempt by Granada Hills’ Jeremy Leach at the Los Angeles 39, but on San Diego’s next play, Mountain Empire’s Tim Johnson overthrew two receivers in his only pass of the game, and the ball was intercepted by Cleveland’s Mario Hull, who returned it 30 yards to the Los Angeles 45.

Los Angeles then mounted a drive that would tie the game.

It took Leach 6 1/2 minutes to drive Los Angeles to the end zone; Los Angeles ran nine consecutive running plays into the strength of the San Diego team. When Leach finally passed, he found Kevin Carmichael for 15 yards to the 2.

Leach hit high school teammate Kyle Jan for a touchdown, but it was nullified by a holding penalty. After two incomplete passes, Leach escaped the rush of Torrey Pines’ Tyler Batson and Ramon Rosario (Sweetwater) and found Mario Hull for the score.

Los Angeles, which had missed an earlier PAT attempt, lined up to kick again. But Jan, the holder, picked up a low snap, rolled right and found Carmichael just behind two San Diego defenders. His catch tied the game with 4:32 to play.

San Diego took a 7-6 lead in the first half, which was filled with penalties and confusion as the teams tried to feel each other out.

The game began similarly to last year’s, when Los Angeles fumbled on its first three possessions, and San Diego took a 19-0 lead en route to a 26-19 victory. But this time, it was San Diego that was generous, losing the ball twice on fumbles in the first half. Los Angeles was only able to score once on the turnovers.

Los Angeles took a 6-0 lead with 8:20 to play in first quarter when Leach passed 26 yards to Byron Reeves (Carson). Leach was wide on the extra-point attempt. The touchdown was set up when San Diego’s Scott Catlin (Sweetwater) fumbled a punt, and Vincent Smith (Locke) recovered for Los Angeles at the San Diego 23. Five plays later, Leach found Reeves between two defenders in the right corner of the end zone.

Aided by penalties, San Diego then drove 56 yards on 11 plays to the Los Angeles 4-yard line. But Chris Box (Clairemont) fumbled the handoff from Stokes, and Bryan Addison (Chatsworth) recovered for Los Angeles at its 5.

San Diego took a 7-6 lead with 10:25 to play in the first half on a 7-play, 36-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard dive by Darrin Wagner (Lincoln). The extra point by Walker slipped inside the left corner of the uprights. The key play on the drive was a fourth-and-5, 14-yard pass from Stokes to Point Loma’s Bob Brasher that put the ball at the 1.

Los Angeles drove to the San Diego 23 with five minutes left in the half but stalled there.