Simi Valley’s Bennett Helps East Win With His Legs : All-star football: Quarterback has key 15-yard run in late scoring drive of 23-19 victory.

After eight months away from the game, you could sense Saturday night that Simi Valley High quarterback Eric Bennett was happy to be playing football again.

He also looked razor-sharp in leading the East to a come-from-behind 23-19 victory in the 20th Ventura County East/West All-Star game at Larrabee Stadium.

Bennett, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior bound for Nevada on a football scholarship, completed 10 of 14 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown.

But his most important contribution was not a pass.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Bennett--looking to put the game away on a bomb to Jason Toohey--threw an interception that helped the West take a 19-17 lead.

But after the East retained possession with roughly six minutes left, Bennett keyed the decisive 49-yard scoring drive with a 15-yard run that stunned the West defense.

With the East facing second down and 14 yards at the West 18, Bennett bolted up the middle on a option play, racing past six defenders before he was tackled at the three. Fullback Manfred Wagner scored on the next play.

“I felt good and I didn’t get touched all night,” said Bennett. “The interception was just one of those things that happens. But with the team we have, and the line I had, I knew we could come back.”

For a while, it looked as if the team that had the ball last would win.

Both teams scored on their first drives, which were dominated by the quarterbacks. Bennett completed five of six passes for 70 yards on the game’s opening drive.

The 11-play, 69-yard drive was kept alive when Wagner (Thousand Oaks) gained six yards on fourth and one at the West 31-yard line.

Two plays later, split end Jason Toohey (Newbury Park) slipped behind West safety David Grant (Oxnard) on a post pattern and Bennett hit him with a bullet for the touchdown.

It took the West eight plays to answer. Steve Saum (Nordhoff) connected with tight end Mike York (Nordhoff) for a 17-yard gain on first down.

A 15-yard face-mask penalty on the next play put the West in East territory at the 47. Saum then threw an eight-yard completion and gained nine yards on a bootleg run before Larry Bumpus (Oxnard) scored on a two-yard run with 1:02 remaining in the first quarter.

The West moved ahead, 13-7, after David Belger (Rio Mesa) scored on a five-yard run and the extra-point kick by Mike Ellis (Ventura) was blocked by Jason Sandel (Camarillo).

But the East moved in front, 14-13, before halftime after Thousand Oaks’ Quincy Jacobs (20 carries, 154 yards) scored on a three-yard run.

The East extended the lead to 17-13 on a 33-yard field goal by Lee Ciuffitelli (Camarillo), but quarterback Aaron Triana (Buena) keyed another West comeback with a 28-yard run and a 32-yard scoring pass to York after Bennett’s interception.

“Our offense was so pumped up. It seemed like we were gong to pull it off,” said Triana, who completed five of six passes for 74 yards. “I’m real disappointed that we lost. The defense played well, but there was nothing we could do.” But after the West failed on an onsides kick attempt, Jacobs romped 24 yards on the first play. Two plays later came Bennett’s big run.

“It’s been a good two weeks of practice,” said Bennett, “and it was a pretty good game.”