West Passes to 28-7 Win in All-Star Football Game

Ryan Kieling, a wide receiver from Crespi High, did not need a second glance at the East defense Thursday night. Neither did West quarterbacks Bryan Martin of Granada Hills and Scott Peterson of Thousand Oaks.

The trio was convinced that holes could be found in the pass coverage, and they were. The West rolled to a 28-7 win in the Daily News All-Star football game at Birmingham High, a contest marred by six personal foul penalties and several scuffles.

Kieling, only 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, caught six passes for 108 yards. He had a diving, 38-yard touchdown reception that gave the West a 21-point lead in the third quarter.

“Our quarterbacks were the difference in the two football teams,” West co-Coach Gene Uebelhardt said. He might have added Kieling to the list.

Peterson, who will attend New Mexico, completed his first six passes and was six for eight for 115 yards and a touchdown. Martin, who is headed to Weber State, was six for seven for 72 yards and a touchdown.

“I knew we could go inside and in, and I knew we could go outside and up,” Kieling said. “Either way, I knew we could do it.”

The West, which won for the fifth consecutive year, used a balanced attack to gain 341 yards. Taft’s Darnell Hendricks gained 78 yards in five carries for the West, which had 154 rushing yards.

“Any time you can pass the ball in high school football, the game becomes exciting and you can score points fast,” Uebelhardt said. “We felt we came in with a big-play type of offense, and it surely was.”

The East, which had just 17 passing yards, fumbled five times and committed four turnovers. The East fumbled on its first play and the West needed just three plays to find the end zone.

Chatsworth’s Ryan Marine ran 16 yards to the two and Granada Hills’ Brett Washington scored on the next play. Royal’s Steve Prchal added the first of his four point-after kicks and the West led, 7-0, with 10 minutes 21 seconds to play in the first quarter.

The East drove 64 yards on its ensuing possession, capping the drive with a 16-yard run by San Fernando’s Leonice Brown, who gained a game-high 141 yards in 18 carries. Canyon’s Troy Aldrich added the point after to tie the score, 7-7, with 6:44 left in the quarter.

The West answered with two touchdowns that gave it a 21-7 lead at halftime.

Hendricks ran 64 yards for a score midway through the first quarter. With 3:51 left in the half, Peterson hit Chatsworth’s Delvon Hardaway with a 41-yard touchdown pass.