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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Homestead's Chris Brooker chases down a South running back for one of his four tackles in last week's all-star football game.

North nails important win

Kenney, Banta-Cain are defensive stars

By Dick Sparrer

There's more to the annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game than just winning and losing. Much more.

There's the honor of being selected and recognized as one of the finest high school football players in the Santa Clara Valley.

There's the satisfaction of competing with and against those players regarded as the area's elite.

And there's the opportunity for just a select few to play one final high school game.

OK, maybe it is the winning and losing.

Because despite the recognition and despite the all-star atmosphere, once the players pull on their pads and helmets for the "The Best Game in Town," they pretty much want to win.

"Winning is everything to me," said linebacker Austin Glover of Los Gatos. "There's no point in coming out here if you're not trying to win."

Glover and his North teammates were not only trying to win, they did. The North edged the South 9-7 in the 24th annual high school classic at San Jose State University's Spartan Stadium.

"We knew we could do it," added Glover. "We knew we were the better players. We just came out and dominated."

Dominated may have been a bit of an overstatement, considering the fact that the North defense had to step up in the final moments of play to secure the win. But the North did outgain the South in total yardage 165-29, despite the tight 9-7 final score.

The North didn't clinch the win, in fact, until the final minute of play when Glover, Tully Banta-Cain (Fremont) and Matt Kenney (Homestead) came through with key defensive plays. Kenney sacked quarterback Jorge Nevarez (Independence) on the South's final offensive play of the night.

"It was very important," said Kenney of the North's final defensive stand. "It felt wonderful just knowing that was the game out there. You just have to go 100 percent every play, even the last play."

But as great as the victory felt for the North players, there really is more to this game than winning.

"It was incredible," Glover said. "It's like the best of the best out there."

"You've got to try that much harder because everybody is as good as you are," added Kenney.

But the Homestead defensive lineman had a reason to try harder that hit even closer to home. His older brother, Mike, played for a victorious North team back in the summer of 1993.

"Knowing that my brother had played in this game made it that much more important," said Kenney.

Kenney and Banta-Cain were dominant defensively. They led the North with five tackles apiece and each sacked the South quarterback three times. But it was actually a pass interception that set up the first North score of the night.

Tackles by Chris Brooker (Homestead), Enzo Iacomini (Los Gatos) and Tom Oristian (Mitty) left the South in a passing situation near midfield. R.J. Jones (Palo Alto) then picked one off and ran it back to the South 29.

Mike Black (Saratoga), working behind an offensive line led by tackle Warren Rick (Fremont), eventually rolled to his right away from pressure and hit Kiijuan Fuselier (Leigh) for the final nine yards and the touchdown.

North quarterbacks Black and Kyle Padia (Leigh) were sacked just twice, but felt the pressure of the South rush all night. The South quarterbacks, though, fell to the sack seven times.

Still, the South was able to go through the air to get its only touchdown of the game when Nevarez tossed four yards to Adam Herzing (Leland) for a score. Shaun Tanner (Oak Grove) snapped the 6-6 tie with his extra point kick.

That's how it remained until the fourth period when Bryan Beall (St. Francis) atoned for a missed extra point by drilling a 37-yard field with 7:20 left in the game to give the North a 9-7 lead.

Padia had tossed 10 yards to Tyler Hooper (Saratoga) and John Klotsche (Palo Alto) went four yards for a first down, but the North drive stalled three plays later and Beall was called on to punt.

Beall drilled one 32 yards to the South 19, but Heling snatched the ball away from Hamil Sulaiman (Yerba Buena) and raced the distance for an apparent North touchdown. But the officials ruled it a muff, not a fumble, and a muff cannot be advanced. Four plays later, Beall booted the game winner.

Strangely, it was the second muff of the game. Earlier, Calvin Edwards (Oak Grove) had swiped one away from John Stengele (Los Gatos) and rambled 51 yards to the endzone, only to have it called back.

The South came back a couple of plays later with another apparent touchdown when Ryan House (Silver Creek) hit Jamar Julien (Oak Grove) for a 40-yard score, but the TD was called back because of a penalty.

Fuselier and Black were the offensive leaders for the North in the game.

Fuselier led the ground attack with 63 yards on 11 carries, and Black completed seven of 10 passes for 53 yards and the one touchdown.

Banta-Cain and Kenney were the defensive leaders for the North with five tackles apiece, and Oristian, Iacomini, Brooker, Glover and Klotsche were in on four tackles each.

Jones had the pass interception and added a game-saving pass deflection late in the game.

Fremont's Justin Stichter, Steven Leslie and Warren Rick all starred in the offensive line for the North.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 29, 1998.
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