The Chargers may have moved their operations north to Los Angeles but the NFL team that called San Diego home for more than 50 years still maintains connections to its former region.
The 28th edition of the Alex Spanos All-Star Classic took place last Saturday at Mesa College. The game annually pits high school seniors in a North-South format; it offers a postseason showcase for players who will be going on to play in college.
The North rallied to post a 23-17 victory in the latest matchup on a last-minute trick play that left fans in a state of both excitement and bewilderment.
The Spanos Classic is the longest-running high school all-star football game in the state. To be selected to play in the game is considered an honor, according to local prep coaches.
Twenty-two players from Sweetwater district schools were selected for this year’s South roster. They included players from Eastlake, Otay Ranch, Olympian, Mater Dei Catholic, Hilltop, Mar Vista, Chula Vista and San Ysidro high schools.
“By and large the three young men representing Olympian High School did well,” Eagles head coach Paul Van Nostrand said. “Glad they got the opportunity to play one more time.”
“Nick Murdock and David De La Torre are both offensive linemen who played and did a trendier job representing our school,” Hilltop head coach Drew Westling said. “They are fine examples for our up and coming players.”
East County was also well represented with players from Santana, Steele Canyon, El Capitan, Helix, Granite Hills and Grossmont.
Eight players represented Point Loma High School.
Game on
The game was back and forth early, with the teams settling for a 10-10 halftime tie.
Ramona’s Casey Buggeln connected with Westview’s Connor Simpson on a seven-yard touchdown pass to help give the North an early 7-0 lead.
Olympian quarterback Nico Menoza then tied the score on a 19-yard touchdown pass to Madison’s Roland White.
Santa Fe Christian’s Brent Hewitt kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 10-7 North lead before the South tied the game on a 21-yard field goal by Mater Dei Catholic’s Andrew Septien.
The South kept the momentum in the second half.
Santana’s Landon Wood returned an intercepted pass 27 yards to put the South ahead, 17-10, in the third quarter.
The South led, 17-16, when Mission Hills’ Damon Wigand scored on a two-yard run with 7:53 to play in the fourth quarter. However, the point-after-touchdown attempt failed, leaving the South with a one-point lead.
The South remained in the lead until the North executed a trick play late in the game to score what proved to be the game-winning points.
El Camino quarterback Jaden Casey tossed a lateral of Ramona’s Tristan Stacy, who then passed to Valley Center’s Kobe Dominguez, who had gotten behind the South defense, for a 71-yard touchdown catch.
The North secured the win when La Costa Canyon’s Christian Estrella intercepted a South pass with 55 seconds to play.
With the victory, the North improved to 13-11 in the game’s current North-South format.
Chula Vista’s Ubaldo Nolasco earned MVP honors for the South team while Mt. Carmel’s Kekoa Willkomm earned the North team’s MVP award.
Mendoza passed for 1,800 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions during the 2017 season as the Eagles advanced to the Division I quarterfinal playoffs.
Nolasco had 12 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns during the season for the Spartans, who advanced as far as the Division IV quarterfinals.
“Ubaldo has played great in every all-star game this offseason,” CVHS head coach Howard Bannister said. “I am not surprised at all with the success he has had going against some of San Diego’s finest.
“He’s had one official offer from Bethel University and a couple of other schools have shown interest. Who ever gets him will add an awesome Spartan to their ranks. He’s gonna be nearly impossible to replace and it will take tremendous effort by some of our underclass men to fill his shoes.”
“It was great to get a couple of guys in the game,” Mar Vista head coach Tyler Arciaga added. “I believe it helps get a wider range of players across South Bay. Joe Martinez-Woods was a late add-on but was a solid contributor on defense. De’Von Peterson played wide receiver and did a nice job during the practices.
“It is also a nice send-off for these guys and a way to reward their hard work over the past four years. Joe Martinez-Woods was a great example of someone who work hard in the off-season (hiring a speed coach in addition to attending football workouts) to become one of our better defensive players.
“De’Von is a great example of perseverance and learning from some previous pitfalls that he may have encountered earlier in his career. Both players are great examples for our underclassman and made Mar Vista and Metro Conference football proud.”
The Spanos All-Star Classic was among eight post-season high school football all-star games.
Mater Dei Catholic’s Nick Dell’Acqua (Navy) was part of the San Diego Stars & Stripes all-star team that competed in last Saturday’s Americas Bowl in Mexico City against the Mexican national U17 and U15 teams.
ALL-STAR FOOTBALL GAME SOUTH ROSTER
(Metro Conference Players)
DB: Bernard Coe (Eastlake)
WR: Cameron Kane (Eastlake)
WR/LB: Darian Williams (Otay Ranch)
K/P: Andres Septien (Mater Dei Catholic)
WR/DB: De’Von Peterson (Mar Vista)
QB: Nico Mendoza (Olympian)
WR/DB: Josh Lira (Otay Ranch)
WR/DB: Shaun Jones (Mater Dei Catholic)
DL: Ubaldo Nolasco (Chula Vista)
DB: Rayshawn Parks-Price (Eastlake)
RB: Gus Espiritu (Otay Ranch)
WR/DB: Rene Cosmo (Otay Ranch)
WR/DB: Andrew Domingo (Olympian)
LB: Joseph Woods (Mar Vista)
OL/DL: SonnyRay Kilby (Mater Dei Catholic)
OL/DL: Andres Lynch (Otay Ranch)
OL/DL: Jordan Hallmen (San Ysidro)
OL/DL: David De la Torre (Hilltop)
OL/DL: Nicolas Manzo (Olympian)
OL/DL: Nick Murdock (Hilltop)
OL/DL: Chris Lira (San Ysidro)
WR: Ryan Flores (Mater Dei Catholic)
