Los Alamitos Connection Helps California Win

California Coach John Barnes figured to have an advantage over Texas Coach Smitty Hill during the Shrine all-star game Saturday night with three key players from his Los Alamitos team, quarterback Kevin Feterik, and receivers Tony Hartley and Stan Guyness.

And Hartley and Guyness did their parts. Each caught a touchdown pass, and Guyness’ catch--a 42-yarder from Feterik with 2 minutes 7 seconds left in the third quarter--was the final score of a 27-12 California victory in front of an estimated 6,500 at Cal State Fullerton.

The best player, however, was from Northern California. Quarterback Scott Towne, who completed 12 of 15 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns, sparked the 14-point second half California needed to pull away from Texas.

Towne, who attended Stockton St. Mary’s and is headed for Sacramento State, put California ahead for good late in the second quarter with a six-yard scoring pass to Hartley. He also threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Fontana’s Rodney Soward after a fake reverse in the third quarter, which increased California’s 13-12 halftime lead to 20-12.

Towne was named California’s most valuable player.

“I didn’t come here thinking about awards,” Towne said. “I just wanted to do the best I could. I got to throw to the best receivers in California and got great blocking from the offensive line.”

Barnes said he knew Towne was a good athlete but “didn’t think he would do this good.”

“He wasn’t executing as well in practice as I hoped,” Barnes said, “but in these games, you never know who is going to rise up. And tonight he made things happen.”

The game was close in the first half, primarily because California mistakes kept Texas in the game. California won despite losing five fumbles and one interception.

California’s Leon Callen fumbled the opening kickoff and Texas’ Mike Grandy recovered at the California 43. The visitors converted the error into a 23-yard field goal by David Leaverton.

Thanks to a 54-yard kickoff return by Terrelle Smith, California established a foothold at the Texas 41, and scored in five plays. Jermaine Lewis’ 12-yard burst up the middle gave California a 6-3 lead.

Texas regained the lead, 9-6, when Feterik’s short pass was intercepted by Marcus Sanders and returned 35 yards for a touchdown.

The play helped earn Sanders the Texas MVP award.