Texas’ Best Play California Stars

Interstate football all-star games, which are growing in popularity throughout the nation, begin a run in the Southland tonight when recently graduated high school players from California play Texas counterparts in the 49th annual Shrine game at Cerritos College.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children.

The Shrine game, in its sixth year using a California-Texas format, is the first of three interstate all-star games scheduled to be played in the Los Angeles area this year.

On July 22, the inaugural CaliFlorida Bowl, featuring players from California and Florida, will be played at the Rose Bowl. And CaliFlorida Bowl organizers are planning another game between the states--with seniors in the Class of 2001--to be played at the Coliseum Dec. 23, two weeks after the City Section and Southern Section playoffs.

Hal Justice, general chairman of the Shrine game, said he hopes the market for interstate all-star events does not reach the saturation point.

“We’ve got about eight kids playing in both games,” Justice said. “I’m afraid some coaches will eventually say, ‘You can only play in one.’ I think it could be detrimental.”

The Shrine Bowl in North Carolina is regarded as the most successful high school all-star game, said Mark Tennis, editor of Student Sports magazine. Teams from North Carolina and South Carolina play after the high school season at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., before crowds of 30,000-40,000 and a regional television audience.

From 1952 to 1973, Los Angeles’ Shrine game pitted players from Southern California against those from Northern California in games that were played before large crowds at the Coliseum. Beginning in 1974, rosters were filled only with players from Southern California and, through 1983, the game was played at the Rose Bowl to dwindling crowds.

The game was canceled in 1984 because of the Los Angeles Olympics, but was played the following year at East Los Angeles College and drew 9,000.

The Southern California-Northern California format was resumed in 1986 as the game returned to the Rose Bowl. In 1992 it moved to Veterans Stadium in Long Beach for two years and then to Citrus College for one.

In 1995, the California-Texas format was adopted and for three years the games were played at Cal State Fullerton before moving to Cerritos College in 1998.

Last year, quarterback Kyle Boller and wide receiver Keenan Howry connected on a Hail Mary pass play on the game’s final play to give California a 28-25 victory before 8,000.

This year’s California team is coached by Jim Benkert, who guided Westlake to the Southern Section Division IV title.

Six California players and one Texan will attend UCLA. UCLA-bound Californians are: receiver Tab Perry of Milpitas High; running back/linebacker Patrick Norton of Newhall Hart; kicker Chris Kluwe of Los Alamitos; lineman Eyoseph Efseaff of Porterville Monache; and linebacker Brandon Chillar and offensive lineman Steve Vieira of Carlsbad.

Linebacker Ben Emanuel of Friendswood Clearbrook is the lone Texan who will become a Bruin.

Three California players will attend USC: defensive back Matt Grootegoed of Santa Ana Mater Dei, who won The Times’ Glenn Davis Award as the outstanding prep football player in the Southland; lineman Kenechi Udeze of Verbum Dei; and tight end Alex Holmes of Harvard-Westlake.

Tonight’s Game

* What: California-Texas Shrine All-Star football game

* When: 7 p.m.

* Where: Cerritos College

* TV: Fox Sports Net 2