Kluwe May Lend a Foot Saturday

Chris Kluwe hopes the outcome of Saturday’s Shrine All-Star Football Classic at Cerritos College won’t hinge on his right foot.

“Hopefully, we’ll win by 30 points,” said Kluwe, the UCLA-bound kicker from Los Alamitos High.

But if the game does come down to a last-second field goal attempt by the California all-star team that plays Texas, Kluwe should be ready.

He connected on a 60-yard, last-second attempt last November in a Southern Section Division I quarterfinal game against Los Angeles Loyola that sent the game into overtime. Kluwe’s kick, which propelled Los Alamitos to a 30-23 victory in double overtime, was an Orange County record.

Kluwe made 16 of 25 field-goal attempts (five were blocked) and averaged 45.5 yards a punt last season.

California Coach Jim Benkert figures Kluwe gives his team a leg up in the kicking game. Even if California struggles to move the ball, Kluwe has the ability to pin Texas deep in its own territory. And any time California moves the ball past midfield, Kluwe is a threat to give the team three points.

“He’s got enormous potential,” Benkert said. “It’s incredible. He’ll be off in his own corner during practice booting the ball 60, 65 yards.”

If Kluwe lends a hand, er, foot in the outcome, it will be the second year in a row that a Los Alamitos player has made the difference. Last year, receiver Keenan Howry, who now plays for Oregon, caught a 37-yard pass as time expired to give California a 28-25 victory. California has won all five games in the series.

“It’ll be good having a Los Al presence again,” Kluwe said. “Last year [Howry] caught that pass at the very end. Hopefully, I won’t have to kick a field goal at the very end, but if I do, I’m pretty confident I can make it.”

SUPER ALL-STARS

Kluwe and Mater Dei safety Matt Grootegoed, who’s headed to USC, are the only two county players invited to participate in all three local summer all-star games.

The pair also will play in the North-South Orange County all-star game July 14 at Orange Coast College, and in a game between all-star teams from California and Florida July 22 at the Rose Bowl.

FRIENDS OR FOES?

Mater Dei’s Grootegoed said he found it strange that players from each team were put in the same dorm at Long Beach State. The California team is housed on the first floor, the Texas team on the second--and there’s only one lounge that the teams must share.

Isn’t that going to make it more difficult to bang around the same guy you were playing dominoes with the night before?

“We’re hanging out with each other--I don’t understand that,” Grootegoed said. “There’s only one television, so everybody goes and watches the same television. It’s kind of awkward. We’re going to be playing them on Saturday, but we’re also hanging out with them.”

One guy Grootegoed apparently doesn’t mind hanging out with is his roommate, tight end Alex Holmes of North Hollywood Harvard Westlake. They might room together next year at USC.

“This is like a practice, I guess,” Holmes said. “He’s a real nice kid, a little quiet. But I’m a real rambunctious guy, so I’m going to get him to open up.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Prep Football

* What: Shrine All-Star Football Classic

* When: 7 p.m., Saturday

* Where: Cerritos College

* Basics: Prep all-star players from California play their Texas counterparts. Game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net.

* Benefits: Shriners Hospitals for Children

* Information: (800) 749-0839