South Rallies for Late Victory

Myron Miller said that if he could coach his South all-star squad the next four years, they would be among the “15 or 20” best college teams in the country.

But with two weeks practice and no chance of keeping them together, Miller and about 7,200 fans had to settle for the South barely being the best of two teams at Orange Coast College on Friday.

The South got a touchdown pass from Edison’s Jeff Grady to Tustin’s DeShaun Foster with 1 minute 54 seconds left for a 14-10 victory in the 39th Orange County North-South All-Star football game. The North leads the series, 20-16-3.

The North might have added to its win total on the game’s final drive, but Servite’s Vince Reed was tackled five yards short of a game-winning touchdown with time expired.

Reed got the chance because of a defensive penalty a play earlier when Los Alamitos’ Zach Blazek passed into the end zone attempting to find Servite’s Matt DeLellis. It was the third pass interference penalty on the final drive, which allowed the North to drive from its 20 to the South’s 11-yard line.

But like so many plays in this game, defense was the key. At the end, South lineman flushed Blazek from the pocket and the final play broke down.

“[Reed] did a heck of a job getting open,” Blazek said, “and I was just able to find him.”

But Reed’s desperate attempt to score the game-winner ended under weight of two defensive backs.

The North had taken a 10-0 lead into halftime on the strength of a 32-yard field goal by Brea’s Scott Davis and a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown on the last play of the half.

Brea’s Rasuli Webster, who also had an interception and was the defensive player of the game, blocked Nick Gilliam’s 49-yard field goal attempt with two seconds remaining. Webster fumbled with the ball but got it to Buena Park’s Brian McDonald, who lateraled to Rancho Alamitos’ David Vickers after a couple of strides.

Vickers carried the ball the final 39 yards up the sideline for a touchdown, and Davis’ point-after made it 10-0.

The South took advantage of a fumbled center snap on the North’s first drive of the second half and got the ball at the four. On the first play, Edison’s Brandon Jordan scored up the middle and Gilliam added the PAT.

Foster, who set a Southern Section single-season touchdown record (59), was the offensive player of the game based on one play. He out-jumped Rancho Alamitos’ Shawn Young with 1:54 left in the game for a 17-yard scoring pass.

Foster rushed 15 times for 22 yards, and the winning nine-play, 50-yard drive was the only series in which the South ran three consecutive plays that didn’t include Foster, moving from the 45 to the 21. Two plays and four yards later, Grady passed for the touchdown.

ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR GAME

South 14, North 10

*--*

North 0 10 0 0 -- 10 South 0 0 7 7 -- 14

*--*

N--FG Davis 32

N--Vickers 39 blocked FG return

S--Jordan 4 run (Gilliam kick)

S--Foster 17 pass from Grady (Gilliam kick)

LEADING RUSHERS--N: Vickers 16-41; S: Foster 15-22. LEADING PASSERS--N: Blazek 5-14-0, 70; S: Grady 4-7-1, 61. LEADING RECEIVERS--N: DeLellis 3-65; S: Williams 2-34. INTERCEPTIONS--N: Webster, McDonald; S: Romero.

ATTENDANCE--7,200.