OC Varsity » O.C. All-Star Game

Football: Breaking down the O.C. All-Star Game

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:41:01 +0000

After two weeks of shuttling back and forth between the South and North practices, it is time to make a prediction.

As you might remember, I did win the staff pick 'em contest during the regular season.

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts about the game as well.

Keys to victory for the North

On offense: The offense is loaded with speed burners (Ronnie Hillman, Greg Portis, Tubotein Taylor, etc.). I would utilize their speed whenever possible, especially Hillman. He is a different level of fast that I haven't seen. If the offense is stuck in a key third down spot, I would look for Scotty Williams or Colton Grandbouche to make a play. The North ground attack needs to keep an eye on Chris Robinson and Nik Abele.

On defense: Coach John Barnes loves the defensive line and linebackers, but a lot of the success will depend on the defensive backs. Robert Cruz (Magnolia) has performed well in practice as has Derek Orman (Western), but the South is loaded at receiver (J.B. Green, Graham Tenney, Dylan Denso, Gavin Escobar and Nicalaus Powell-Calhoun). Look for safeties Dane Poole and Kyle Dravis to play a big role in pass defense.

Keys to victory for the South

Offense: Spread the love ... and the ball. Test the North secondary. The offense is also going to need a solid effort from the offensive line. The North's D-Line is full of athletes, who will not take a play off, guys like Mike Areklian, Dontaie Ferguson and Sean Avila. The South's O-Line (Abele, Jeff Quigley, Steve Watts, Matt Peleti, etc) is huge and will need to be up to the task.

Defense: Contain the speed. Need big games from Chris Robinson (Tustin) and Nik Abele (Irvine) on the D-Line.

My pick: South, 24-21.

Offensive player of the game: Preston King (Tesoro)

Defensive player of the game: Christian Maldonado (Mater Dei)

There you have it. Check back later Friday night for my recap of the game.

Related:

Football: Checking in on the North all-stars (Thursday's practice)

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:55:34 +0000

The North squad, led by John Barnes and the Los Alamitos coaching staff, continued preparation Thursday night for the July 10 O.C. All-Star Game.

What: North football practice

Where: Los Alamitos High

Three questions with John Barnes

What are your thoughts on the first week of practice?

We have a bunch of great kids. Great character kids. We've put in everything we wanted and they've polished it fast in four days. We still have a couple of things to drop in, but they've handled everything ...I like it.

Thoughts on the defense?

Our linebackers are a lot better coverage guys than I thought they would be and so our are secondary, so I'm excited. Mike Arakelian (Orange Lutheran) makes a lot of plays. He only knows one speed and that's full speed.

Has anything surprised you?

Kane Wilson (El Dorado, QB) is a big-time guy. Ronnie Hillman (La Habra, RB) is a special player. He's going to be a great college player. Not many guys can run like him. The offensive line is better than in most all-star games....(Servite's Zach) Burge is real good, (Western's Daniel) Jamokha is good ...They're all good, I like them.

Up next: The North has four practices remaining. Thursday is a walk-through.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Related:

Football: O.C. All-Star game to be televised nationally

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:23:56 +0000

For the second consecutive season, the county football all-star game will be televised nationally. Starting, July 25th, the game featuring the best of the county will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on ESPNU.

Football: Checking in on the South all-stars (Wed practice)

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:03:47 +0000

The South squad, led by Brian Barnes and the Tesoro coaching staff, continued preparation for the July 10 O.C. All-Star Game, Wednesday night.

What: South football practice

Nik Abele is back in action: Abele missed the first two days of practice with a broken left foot. Well, the boot was off Wednesday and there he was getting time on both the offensive and defensive lines.

"He's a man child," Barnes said. "I wouldn't want to meet him in an alley. He's tough to stop."

Abele joins an already sizable offensive line, which includes Aliso Niguel's Matt Peleti (6-3, 275), Laguna Hills' Jeff Quigley (6-4, 280) and San Clemente's Steve Watts (6-4, 260).

Three days in and Barnes likes what he's seeing: "I'm impressed with how things are going. We have our offense in, our defense in and the kids have really meshed together well."

Here is Barnes' thoughts on those who have stood out: Segerstrom WR Nicalaus Powell-Calhoun (no relation) has been great. On the offensive line, Steve Watts (San Clemente) has done a great job pass-blocking ... Jeff Quigley (Laguna Hills) is a tough kid.

The list continues: Jaron Hytche (Mater Dei), Gavin Escobar (Santa Margarita). On the defensive side of the ball, Artie O'Keefe (Fountain Valley) and the three Edison kids (Bryce Brantley- OL, Will Andrew-DE, Matt Reza-LB).

Are you checking in with dad? We talk every day, but we're both keeping secrets.

The roster: Laguna Hills defensive back Shawn Tucker was on the field. It was his first day. He replaced Colton Fitch (Mission Viejo).

*Check back Thursday for a look at the North.

Football: Checking out the North All-Star team

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:34:04 +0000

The North All-Star team completed Day No. 2 Tuesday night. The team has hit the ground running, going pads both days.

I stopped by Los Alamitos for practice, here are some of my thoughts.

What: North All-Star practice

When: Monday-Thursday, 6-8 p.m.

The pressure is on: Sure this is an all-star game, but watching John Barnes during practice and I could see that he really wants to win. Maybe it has something to do with his record in all-star games (5-0).

Options at running back: What a trio of running backs. Josh Brannon rushed for 2,168 yards last season, Ronnie Hillman (1,401) and Greg Portis (1,227) both topped the 1,000-yard mark.

There are some big boys on the O-Line: Zach Burge (Servite) checks in at 6-4, 265. Kevin Rowlands (Los Alamitos) is 6-3. Willie Mayoral (La Habra) is 285. Then there is Daniel Jamokha (Western). Jamokha is 6-5, 260.

Versatile QB's: Clark Evans (Los Alamitos) and Kane Wilson (El Dorado) are rather similar. They both can throw and run, making life difficult for opposing defenses.

The roster update: Michael Allain (Fullerton) didn't show up Monday or Tuesday and hadn't contacted Barnes. He will probably be replaced.

RELATED:

Football: Changes to the South roster

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:58:21 +0000

Laguna Hills defensive back Shawn Tucker has replaced Colton Fitch (Mission Viejo) on the South roster. Tucker had four interceptions last season for the Hawks.

Football: Checking out the South All-Star team

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:16:06 +0000

The South All-Star team opened up practice Monday night at Tesoro High. I was there (for the entire 2 hours) and here are my thoughts.

What: South football all-star team practice

When: Monday-Thursday; 6-8ish

Do not overlook the South receivers: This is a good group (JB Green, Dylan Denso, Nicalaus Powell-Calhoun, Gavin Escobar and Graham Tenney). Escobar looked really good in 7-on-7 drills and Calhoun (no relation) made several tough catches.

I think it would be safe to say that Preston King will see some time at receiver as well. Making this group that much more tough to deal with. King didn't attend Monday's practice, but will be on the field Tuesday.

Do you want to block Chris Robinson? I wouldn't. The Tustin senior was a force on the first day.

Beware of the playmakers: All year, Christian Maldonado (Mater Dei) and A.J. Cruz (Santa Margarita) were busy making a habit of coming up with a big play at the right time for their teams. It wouldn't surprise me if this happens in the game, July 10.

Updated roster: Defensive back Colton Fitch (Mission Viejo) will not practice or play, Barnes confirmed. Irvine's Nik Abele (broken foot) has all intentions on playing, Barnes said.

Up next: The team will be in full pads Tuesday.

**I will have a report on the North team later this week.

RELATED:

Football: Preparations for O.C. All-Star Game begin Monday

Damian Calhoun, OCVarsity.com since 2004 — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:14:06 +0000

The North and South all-star football teams will begin practice Monday for the 50th Annual Brea Lions Club Orange County All-Star Game, July 10 at Orange Coast College.

Both teams are scheduled to have eight practices.

The North squad, coached by Los Alamitos' John Barnes, will practice at Los Alamitos, from 6-8 p.m.

His son, Brian will lead the South. Practices will take place at Tesoro High, from 6-8:30 p.m.

This will be the second head-to-head meeting between father and son. Brian Barnes and Tesoro defeated Los Alamitos, 23-7 in the first round of the Pac-5 playoffs.

Tickets for the all-star game will be available at the practices.

The North won last year's meeting, 12-10.

Baseball: O.C. All-Star Game rosters

STEVE FRYER, ocvarsity.com — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:21:59 +0000

The rosters have been set for next month's Orange County All-Star Baseball Game.

The contest will be played June 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Glover Stadium in Anaheim. Admission is $5.

The Greater Kiwanis Club of Anaheim organizes and manages the game as a charity fundraiser.

Here are the rosters for the North vs. South game:

North Roster
J.J. Baccari, Marina
Ryan Bergman, Esperanza
Joey Boney, Canyon
Ryan Doran, Servite
Cole Duncan, Troy
Angel Esqueda, Brea Olinda
Zach Esquerra, La Habra
Nick Falbo, Foothill
Brett Gerritse, Pacifica
Tanner Gore, Foothill
Dennis Holt, Esperanza
Billy Hutchinson, El Dorado
Cameron Luitwieler, Sonora
Steven Mancilla, Sonora
Jesus Moreno, Anaheim
Michael Newman, Valencia
David Nick, Cypress
Travis Pitcher, El Dorado
Danny Recio, Loara
Taylor Richardson, Tustin
Benji Sutherland, Villa Park
Joe Torres, Loara
Beau Wright, Los Alamitos
Coach: Steve Gullotti, El Dorado
Assistant coaches: Mike Curran, Esperanza; Mike Scheetz, Valencia

South Roster
J.J. Altobelli, Woodbridge
Beau Amaral, Huntington Beach
Nolan Arenado, El Toro
Michael Bloom, Corona del Mar
Kyle Boudreau, Beckman
Andrew Bynum, Ocean View
Dylan Christensen, JSerra
Nolan Clark, Capistrano Valley
Eric Ehlow, Dana Hills
Evan Finkenberg, Tesoro
Brian Frattali, Mater Dei
Kurt Heyer, Edison
Anthony Hutting, Tesoro
Trevor Jensen, El Toro
Robert Kelly, Santa Margarita
Spencer Kuehn, Dana Hills
Joe Kurrasch, JSerra
Tyler Matzek, Capistrano Valley
Aaron Northcraft, Mater Dei
Riley Pitts, Aliso Niguel
Robert Refsnyder, Laguna Hills
Trayce Thompson, Santa Margarita
Collin Waldmann, Mission Viejo
Aaron Wirsch, El Toro
Coach: Mike Gonzales, El Toro
Assistant coaches: Dave Gellatly, San Clemente; Steve Lambright, Edison

O.C. All-Star Basketball Games: Harberts leads South girls to win

ocvarsity — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:58:59 +0000

Here is the final score from the Big Schools Elite Underclassmen Girls Game at Mission Viejo.

South 68, North 59: San Clemente’s Cassie Harberts scored a game high 18 to lead the South to the victory.

Kelsey Harris scored 16, including four three-pointers, and her Brea Olinda teammate, Jenae Olekumi, scored 14 to lead the North.

-- LOU PONSI, OCVarsity.com