Boller in Peak Form For East

There was one major difference between the teams in the third annual Valley Youth Conference East-West All-Star Classic.

The East had quarterback Kyle Boller of Hart High and the West didn’t.

Boller, a prep All-American bound for California, completed 17 of 23 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns to carry the East to a 34-20 victory Saturday night before about 4,500 at Cal State Northridge.

It didn’t take long for Boller, who was named most valuable player for the East, to establish his superiority. He led the East to touchdowns on its first two possessions.

The East drove 65 yards on the opening drive which included a 36-yard touchdown pass from Boller to Kyle Cremarosa of Burroughs.

It was more of the same on the East’s second possession. The East drove 57 yards in eight plays, scoring on a 14-yard pass from Boller to Sylmar’s Corey Neal that made it 14-0.

With the East leading, 20-7, in the third quarter, Boller struck again , connecting on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Alemany’s Devin Montgomery to make it 26-7.

The West used a pair of big plays to stage a comeback later in the quarter.

The West scored on a 65-yard pass from Nick Czernek of Newbury Park to Steven Long of L.A. Baptist and an 85-yard run by Taft’s Marquis Brignac on its next possession.

But that was as close as the West could get.

Boller completed nine of 10 passes for 129 yards in the first half. Cremarosa caught four passes for 73 yards.

Even when Boller wasn’t in the game in the second quarter, the East still managed to move the football.

The East put together two scoring drives that culminated with field goals of 27 and 24 yards by Jose Arroyo of Van Nuys to make it 20-0 midway through the second quarter.

Behind reserve quarterback Robert Muller of Crespi, the West finally put together a scoring drive late in the second quarter, driving 80 yards in 14 plays and scoring on a one-yard run by Chatsworth’s Eric Harris.