South Roars to Lions Football Win
The 40th Lions All-Star Football Game ended with the kind of finish every all-star game hopes for, as Aaron Zwahlen of Downey drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired to lift the South over the North 17-14 at Modesto Junior College Stadium.
The winning kick gave the South its first victory in four years and only its second win in the last decade. South coach Kevin Swartwood of Buhach Colony admitted he had mixed feelings as the kick was lined up because, under Lions all-star rules, the North could not rush the kick. Even so, when Zwahlen's kick spun through the uprights, the South poured onto the field to celebrate in front of a crowd estimated at about 2,500.
Zwahlen was the unquestioned game MVP. The 6-foot-3 quarterback completed 18 of 32 passes for 286 yards, threw and ran for touchdowns, and accounted for all 17 South points with either his arm or his right leg. Swartwood said simply that the biggest difference in the game was that the South had Aaron Zwahlen and the North did not.
The game was much tighter on the scoreboard than on the stat sheet for most of the night. The South dominated the first half with a staggering 277-16 edge in total yards and a 9-2 advantage in first downs, yet the teams still went into halftime tied 0-0. The North defense held tough deep in its own territory several times, and Zwahlen also missed a short field-goal try.
The South finally broke through in the third quarter. Zwahlen first fired a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brad Adamson of Merced, then added a 6-yard touchdown run after bobbling the snap and improvising his way into the end zone. Those two scores pushed the South in front 14-0 and seemed to put the game under control.
The North, however, rallied behind Zack Johnson of Kimball. Johnson sparked the comeback with a 33-yard run on fourth down, later scored on a 9-yard dash, and then helped tie the game with a two-point conversion run by Anthony Cotta with just 2:33 left. The comeback made the finish even more dramatic.
The closing sequence swung again when Zwahlen fumbled near midfield with 48 seconds left, briefly opening the door for a North victory. North coach Jason Weatherby of Calaveras, refusing to settle for a tie, went for the win on fourth down from his own 41 rather than punting. The pass fell incomplete, and Zwahlen quickly hit Matt Parker of Atwater for a 23-yard gain to set up the winning kick.
The South outgained the North 414-197 in total offense. Hondo Arpoika of Oakdale was named the Defensive MVP, while Zack Johnson received the North's top player honor. Before kickoff, coaches also recognized their most inspirational players: the injured Daniel Lyle of Argonaut for the North and Arpoika for the South.
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