SHRINE ALL-STAR FOOTBALL GAME : Fittingly, the Game Ends in a Tie, 7-7

Missed opportunities in the final quarter plagued both teams and the 43rd North-South Shrine all-star football game ended in a 7-7 tie in front of 7,600 Saturday at Citrus College.

With the score tied, 7-7, each team fumbled in its opponent’s territory, but neither turnover was converted and the game ended in a tie for only the sixth time.

“I would have liked to win this one,” said South tight end John McLaughlin (Hart), who is headed for Notre Dame. “We came out here and totally underestimated them. Even in the pregame--we came out all hyped up. We thought we were gonna blow them out of the water.” McLaughlin, who went both ways, had three tackles and 1 1/2 sacks.

Neither team looked all that spiffy, so a tie seemed only fitting.

The North had a chance to take a lead midway through the fourth quarter after Marlon Farlow of Eisenhower fumbled at the South 37.

But, after two incomplete passes by Brian Vye of Leland and a five-yard run by Ali Evans (15 carries, 57 yards) of Vallejo, the North tried a 50-yard field goal by Jeremy Wilgus. His attempt fell about five yards short.

Then, with just 23 seconds remaining in the game, the North returned the favor when quarterback Brad Martin fumbled at the North 28 and Pene Talamaivao fell on it to give the South one more chance.

But on third and nine with five seconds remaining, quarterback Steve Campbell’s forward pass was ruled a fumble and the North took over at its 32.

“Personally, I didn’t think I had that great a game,” said Campbell, who finished five of 13 for 74 yards and took home the South’s most valuable player award. “(But), that’s a game-breaking play right there. That just killed the game for us and I didn’t agree (with the call), obviously.”

The North took advantage of a shanked 14-yard punt by Adam Abrams of The Bishop’s School to score the game’s opening points.

The North set up shop at the South 33 on its second possession and capped a nine-play drive on Mario Washington’s four-yard run.

The South evened the score early in the third quarter on a 13-yard halfback flare pass from Campbell to Buena’s George Keiaho, who is bound for Washington.

Keiaho caught the ball near the right sideline and scampered another 11 yards for the touchdown.

Both teams had trouble sustaining drives throughout and neither team rolled up more than 150 offensive yards.

The South had just 68 offensive yards at halftime and nearly one-third of those yards came on a 22-yard run by Sylmar’s Tyrone Crenshaw, the two-time All-City Section 4-A player of the year who is headed to Michigan State.