South Rallies to Tie North in All-Star Football Game

When North kicker David Bell kicked his second field goal, giving his team a 12-point lead with 9 minutes 56 seconds to play, it appeared the South was headed for its fourth consecutive loss in the 37th Orange County North-South all-star football game.

But the South staged a furious rally in the final nine minutes to tie the game, 12-12, in front of an estimated 6,000 at Orange Coast College.

South receiver Trevor Insley, running a crossing pattern over the middle, caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Steve Krupp with less than two minutes remaining.

Insley had 10 catches for 107 yards and broke the game record of nine catches set by Ken Margerum in 1977. Insley, a San Clemente graduate, was named offensive player of the game.

South lineman Sky Conway was named the game’s top defensive player.

“We had run that play a couple of times before,” Insley said. “So we felt if we got close we could do it again. And the line did a great job of blocking. If they don’t block, there’s no way it will work.”

The South failed on both point-after kicks.

The first, after Krupp’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, was no good after the South was moved back 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike penalty. (Junior Barnes was ejected for taunting.) The second was blocked.

South Coach Mark Cunningham said his team never gave up.

“In the first half we were just off offensively,” Cunningham said. “We just told them if we could start clicking we would be right in it. And we clicked.”

The tie kept North Coach Jim Howell, who is retiring from Western High, from getting his 100th career victory.

“I thought we had them, but all the credit goes to the South,” Howell said. “They probably feel better about the tie than we do since they came all the way back.”

Insley wasn’t the only record-setter Friday. Bell made a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter. That topped the old mark of 50 yards, established by the North’s Jan Barkler in 1980.

The North was the only team to score in the first half.

North quarterback Dean Chambers, who entered the game in the second quarter, moved his team 92 yards in 16 plays, passing for 55 of his game-high 125 yards to complement the power running of Reuben Droughns, who had five carries for 18 yards.

Eric Shine eventually scored the North touchdown on a four-yard run around the right side with 2:02 left in the half. A two-point pass play failed, however, as receiver Matt Paul was tackled a yard short.

The North defense was particularly stubborn against the run, holding the South to minus-2 yards in the half.