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Saratoga Sports
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By Dick Sparrer Millard Hampton, Doug Cosbie and Ken Caminiti followed very different paths in their athletic pursuits. Hampton was a gold-medal winner at the Olympic Games, Cosbie an All-Pro tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, and Caminiti an all-star third baseman for the San Diego Padres. But while the three headed in different directions athletically, they still share a common bond ... all three played in the summer football game now known as the Silicon Valley Youth Classic Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game. Hampton, Cosbie and Caminiti are just three of the talented athletes who have competed in the "Best Game in Town" and have gone on to success in other arenas. And as the annual classic returns for a 28th time this summer, the question is who will be next? The rosters for the 2002 summer game have been released, and a talented crop of graduating high school seniors are set to play in this year's game on July 25, 7:30 p.m., at San Jose City College. Among the local players set to play in the summer game include wide receiver Scott Cohn, defensive lineman Nick Crafford, quarterback Trent Edwards, defensive lineman Jon Espe, and tight end Geno Gingery of Los Gatos, and defensive end James Murdock III and defensive back Michael Crooks of Leigh. Cosbie is just one of more than a dozen all-stars who have gone on to play in the National Football League. Jeff Garcia represented Gilroy High in the summer classic and is now the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Don Schwartz (Mitty/St. Louis Cardinals), Jeff Toews (Del Mar/Miami Dolphins), Rich Campbell (Santa Teresa/Green Bay Packers), Carl Monroe (Overfelt/49ers), Greg Woodard (Silver Creek/Oakland Raiders), John Tuggle (Independence/New York Giants), Ben Bennett (Peterson/Chicago Bears), John Faylor (Mitty/49ers), Erik Howard (Bellarmine/Giants), Randy Kirk (Bellarmine/49ers) and Pat Tillman (Leland/Arizona Cardinals). Caminiti (Leigh) and Bill Haselman (Saratoga) each played in the summer game, then went on to play baseball in the major leagues. Caminiti was an all-star for the Padres. Haselman has been a catcher for the Boston Red Sox and the Rangers. Rotary sponsorship The Almaden Valley Rotary Club sponsors the football game each summer, with proceeds going to the Rotary charity and scholarship programs. And it all started because members of the Almaden Valley Rotary Club had an idea. "Three Rotarians came to the police department and met with me at the PAL office," said game chairman Jim Guido, now a Rotarian himself but at that time the head of the San Jose Police Activities League. "They said, 'We have an idea for an all-star football game.' " So Guido, his PAL staff and the Rotarians went to work to make the idea a reality. "We had a marriage of sorts," said Guido of the relationship between the Rotary and the PAL. "They came up with the idea which was a good one, and we had the expertise to put the game together." The first game was played in the summer of 1974. With the exception of 1976, the game has been played every summer since, and Guido has been involved in every one of the 28 games. "The great thing about this game is that there are no politics involved," said Guido. "This game is for the kids." And thanks to a great idea and the hard work of many volunteers, this game is for the high school football fans of the Santa Clara Valley, too. They call it "The Best Game in Town," but it's much more than that. Football banquet The players and coaches selected for the 2001 game were invited to a banquet in their honor on May 13 at Three Flames restaurant in Willow Glen. Guest speakers at the event were San Jose State University football coach Fitz Hill and Keith Ferguson, an NFL official who has donated his services for the game in years past. Ferguson is a former athlete locally at Del Mar High School. The Wedemeyers, Charlie and his wife Lucy, are expected to make their appearance at this summer's game, greeting players as they are introduced prior to the game. Wedemeyer is the former Los Gatos High School football coach stricken with the dreaded Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS. Despite the effects of the debilitating disease, Charlie and Lucy have gone on to create the Charlie Wedemeyer Foundation. North team Palo Alto coach Earl Hansen will lead the North team in the all-star game. Members of the North team include: Los Gatos - wide receiver Scott Cohn, defensive lineman Nick Crafford, quarterback Trent Edwards, defensive lineman Jon Espe, tight end Geno Gingery; Saratoga - kicker A.J. Weitsman, wide receiver Devin Schrock, quarterback Scott Moran, tight end Troy Follmar; Fremont - defensive lineman Esteban Carbajal, offensive tackle Nick Arnold; Archbishop Mitty - defensive lineman Jarrod Washington, defensive back Bryson Reedy, defensive lineman Justin Pors, fullback Jason Oliver; Wilcox - center Sean Timon, offensive lineman Andrew Martin, wide receiver Marquis Henderson, running back Ardell Briggs; Harker - running back Adam Vucurevich; Mountain View - defensive lineman Matt Turnbull, running back Jordan Nelson, running back Trevor Hooper; Santa Clara - running back Pierre Tumlin, wide receiver Ted Mason; Prospect - linebacker Ryan Schaefers; Los Altos - defensive back Thomas Roux; Saint Francis - tight end Aaron Rouleau, running back Mike Ribero; Monta Vista - defensive back Drew Rogers, running back Ryan Katz; Gunn - tight end Robbie Parry, offensive lineman Juan Marquez; Milpitas - tight end Nehemiah Palazzo, linebacker Eli Ledesma, quarterback Dustin Guglielmelli; Homestead - running back Steven Nichols; Leigh - defensive end James Murdock III, defensive back Michael Crooks; Cupertino - linebacker Scott Mueller; Palo Alto - defensive lineman Pat Justman, running back Jesus Garcia; Lynbrook - quarterback Sean Imai; Westmont - offensive lineman Chad Helmonds; Delmar - wide receiver D.J. Eddy. South team Pioneer head coach Mark Krail will head up the South squad for the summer game. Members of the South team include: Lincoln - running back Brad Yanez, defensive tackle Russel Terao, quarterback Tyler Silva; Pioneer - defensive end Jeff Worrell, linebacker Matt Mallon, running back Jacob French, offensive tackle James Dunne, linebacker Christian Barajas; Valley Christian - free safety Ryan Walson, linebacker Ray Menchaca, tight end Chris Gengl, running back Yitbarek Admassu; Gilroy - wide receiver Chris Thomas, tight end Will Lawrence, defensive tackle Austin Geiger, linebacker Willie Gamboa; Independence - linebacker Joseph Te'o, offensive guard Peter Lu, cornerback Derrick Dyer; Silver Creek - offensive guard David Stausser; W.C. Overfelt - offensive tackle Chan Soeung, offensive guard Lane Matau, safety Juan Gonzales; Bellarmine - wide receiver Kevin Shull, center James Rozzi, defensive tackle Richard Faiva, linebacker Kevin Alger; Santa Teresa - defensive end David Salamida; James Lick - defensive tackle Felix Romero; Oak Grove - center Nick Rizzo, running back Leone Iosefa, corner back John Hodge, running back Gerald Green, defensive end Neil Duffy-Smith; Live Oak - free safety Albert Ramirez, linebacker Christian Lilleland, offensive tackle Derek Durksen; Gunderson - corner back Greg Lovely, quarterback James Jones, defensive back Martell Heffner; Leland - running back Tyler Jones; Branham - tight end Matt Griffith; Piedmont Hills - corner back Tooty Francis; Andrew Hill - defensive end Arturo Cortez; San Jose - wide receiver Stephen Contreras. |
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