SHRINE ALL-STAR FOOTBALL GAME : McCullough Gets 108, but North Rallies, 28-23

It has been an unsettling off-season for Saladin McCullough, a highly regarded running back from Pasadena Muir High.

Since finishing his senior season with 2,100 yards, McCullough has been surrounded by controversy concerning his score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

McCullough signed a letter of intent with USC in February, but whether he will ever become a Trojan is uncertain.

SAT officials are challenging his last score, which increased significantly from his previous one. Incoming freshman must score at least 700 points to gain eligibility, a requirement he has not yet met.

McCullough, 18, tried to put his problems behind him Saturday night by participating in the 42nd annual Shrine Football Classic, an all-star game that matches top seniors from Northern California against those from Southern California.

McCullough finished with a game-high 106 yards in 18 carries, but the North mounted a come-from-behind 28-23 victory before 7,000 at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.

McCullough was voted the South’s most valuable player.

“As far as I’m concerned,” McCullough said, “I am still going to USC. I can’t say right now whether everything is cleared up, but I haven’t let all of this stuff drag me down. I just don’t think about it that much.”

The South had several talented running backs on its roster, including Lawrence Phillips of Baldwin Park and Eliel Swinton of Van Nuys Montclair Prep. But Coach Mark Paredes of La Puente Bishop Amat gave McCullough the ball more than all of the other backs combined.

Several times it looked as if he would break for a long touchdown, but he was kept out of the end zone. His longest run was 21 yards.

“I felt like I was going to bust loose on several occasions,” McCullough said, “but there was always one guy in my way. I just couldn’t quite get free.

“I think we underestimated the North a little.”

Nearly all of the South’s 30 players are headed to top Division I colleges next month. Also, the South beat the North, 38-0, last year.

The North pulled the surprise with a passing game centered around receiver Will Blackwell of Oakland Skyline, who was voted his team’s MVP.

Blackwell tied a Shrine game record with three receiving touchdowns, from 11, 30 and 37 yards. He also had a key interception in his end zone with five minutes remaining to preserve the victory.

With the South ahead, 23-21, early in the fourth quarter, Blackwell scored his final touchdown on a nifty flea-ficker that ended with a 37-yard pass from quarterback Tom Krug of Los Gatos.

“All week long we practiced that flea-flicker, and I dropped it every time” said Blackwell, who will attend San Diego State. “I knew I couldn’t do that out there.”

The South alternated quarterbacks Tim Carey of Los Alamitos and Pat Barnes of Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills.

Barnes completed five of 12 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown, and Carey completed seven of 11 for 85 yards and a touchdown.