The North will meet the South at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in the 41st Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star football game and one thing is for sure – the ball will be in the air a lot.
The annual event, presented by the Rotary Club of Almaden Valley, pits many of the best graduated seniors from 46 Santa Clara Valley high school football programs.
Both teams will run a wide-open spread offense and have the weapons to make them work.
“Things are going good,” North coach Jake Messina of Fremont High said. “They’re picking up the stuff on offense and defense and they’re aggressive. In fact, we’re having to pull them apart a little bit. But we’re getting our stuff in.”
Said South coach Eric Perry of Pioneer: “It’s been fun so far. We have a good group and they’re excited.”
Besides some fans getting their first look at Levi’s, the home of the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50, there’s another bonus this season – for the price of a ticket fans can watch a 49ers' practice after the game.
But whether the game is held at the $1 billion Levi’s or its more modest predecessor San Jose City College, it’s the prep players who are the focus. As always, there is plenty of talent to put some points on the board.
Among the stars set for this year's game are Los Gatos quarterback Dru Brown who threw for 2,301 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, Pioneer’s Zach Silva (2,468 yards passing, 30 TDs); The King's Academy's Dominic Sabel (2,016 yards passing, 20 TDs); running backs Devante Sanchez of Fremont, Chuck Culberson of Leland and Jakob Good of Westmont who all ran for more than 1,000 yards; and receiver Derek Friske of TKA who caught 26 passes for 612 yards and nine TDs.
The North won 37-3 last season at SJCC for its second consecutive triumph. Overall the series is 21-17-3 in favor of the South.
In previous games, such standouts as Jeff Garcia, Doug Cosbie, James Jones, Jeff Ulbrich, Trent Edwards, Carl Monroe, John Tuggle, Mike Holmgren (coach) and the late Pat Tillman have participated.
Tickets may be purchased online, saving fans time waiting in line. They are available at: www.santaclaraallstar.com, www.ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000 or the Levi's box office.
Here are the team rosters:
SOUTH
Andrew Hill—Sherman Smith, wide receiver/defensive back. Mitty--Nichols McMurray, outside linebacker/defensive end. —Branham--Ray Ellis, defensive lineman; Luke Morin, quarterback. Christopher--Alex Pacheco, wide receiver. Cupertino--Marcus Verker, offensive lineman. Del Mar--Jack Tuatoo, fullback. Gilroy--Patrick Hsu, wide receiver/defensive back; Devin Nguyen, offensive/defensive lineman. Gunderson--Luis Godinez, inside linebacker. Harker--Keanu Forbes, strong safety. Leigh--Dylan Wahl, linebacker. Leland--Kevin Cance, wide receiver/kicker; Chuck Culberson, fullback/linebacker; Tae Kim, offensive/defensive lineman. Live Oak--Billy Bennett, offensive lineman; Jonathan Freitas, linebacker; Brandon Sorce, defensive back. Los Gatos--Dru Brown, quarterback; Brendan Ross, offensive lineman; Quinn Spiteri, strong safety; Henry Tuckfield, offensive lineman. Lynbrook--Jonathan Chang, running back/defensive back. Oak Grove--Deshaun Hodge, offensive lineman; Tajhel Johnson, wide receiver/defensive back; Rashaun Jones, defensive end. Pioneer--Adrian Cervantez, running back/defensive back; Michael Keding, offensive/defensive lineman; Michael Kelker, offensive/defensive lineman; Zach Silva, quarterback. Santa Teresa--Nick Amaral, offensive/defensive lineman; Corey Garcia, wide receiver/defensive back. Saratoga--Joey Medeiros, wide receiver/defensive back; Ken Wu, free safety. Sobrato--Ben Hagiperos, defensive end; Joshua Maese, wide receiver/defensive back. Valley Christian—Michael Machado, quarterback; Tre McCloud, running back. Westmont--Jamie Bragg, linebacker; Jakob Good, running back. Willow Glen--Will Kaufusi, offensive/defensive lineman; Josh Landers, strong safety; Isaiah Sires-Wils, defensive
NORTH
Bellarmine--Curt Calomeni, linebacker; Anthony Guttadauro, defensive back. Evergreen Valley--Bryce O'Hara, tight end. Fremont--Sam Kanongata'a, inside linebacker; Afa Prescott, defensive lineman; Devante Sanchez, running back. Homestead--Ryan Allemandi, defensive back; Justin Miller, defensive back; John Rak, defensive back/kicker. Independence--Angel Estrada, wide receiver. James Lick--Lloyd Dual, kick returner. The King's Academy--Derek Friske, wide receiver; Dominic Sabel, quarterback. Lincoln--Ramon Guzman, defensive lineman. Los Altos--Sean Lanoza, running back. Milpitas--Solomon Foketi, outside linebacker; Ouate Mataele, offensive lineman; Christian Rita, running back/defensive back. Monta Vista--Jasraj Ghuman, offensive lineman. Mountain View--Dylan Fluckinger, offensive lineman; Austin Johnson, wide receiver/defensive back. Mt. Pleasant--Anthony Rodriguez, offensive lineman. Overfelt--Alex Puentes, linebacker. Palo Alto--Jon Martinez, linebacker; JayShawn Pucket, running back/defensive back. Piedmont Hills--Danny Garcia, linebacker; Isaiah Stewart, wide receiver. San Jose--Kyle Alves, running back; Fabian Castillo, offensive lineman. Santa Clara--Alexander Rios, quarterback/wide receiver. Silver Creek--Victor Figueroa, offensive lineman. St. Francis--Devin Hurtado, running back; Kejohn Price, defensive back. Wilcox--Jonathan Herrera, defensive lineman; Chris Lundy, defensive back; Jonathan Pohahau, linebacker. Yerba Buena--Jorge Mota, linebacker.
