North team wins Lions All Star Football Game in final minutes
Jason McCloskey of Mountain House spent the week telling the North they were due for a win, and that belief carried through to a 19-18 victory over the South in the 46th annual Lions All Star Football Game at Lincoln High's Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The win ended the North's six-year winless streak in the series and became a fitting final high school football memory for the players involved.
Vladik Sutherland of Mountain House helped set the tone for the North by scoring the game's first touchdown and later earning recognition as the North's most inspirational player. Trevion Shadrick-Harris of Tracy, Taeshaun Hodge-Maroney of Mountain House, Elias Escobar of Mountain House, and Angelo Ortega of Tracy were among the local North players who described the week as a high-energy all-star experience built on practice intensity, quick team bonding, and the shared belief that this was the year the streak would end.
The game itself swung back and forth throughout the night. The North struck first on a 12-yard touchdown run by Sutherland. The South answered when Jonah Kosakiewicz of Turlock capped a fast response drive with a one-yard touchdown run, then later took a 12-6 lead on a touchdown pass to Trey Longstreth of Gregori. In the fourth quarter, Grant Stephenson of Lincoln threw a touchdown to Chaz Davis of Bear Creek to tie the score, the South went back in front on a nine-yard run by Zaire Eugene of Modesto, and then Stephenson led the decisive response with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Fletcher Pitts Jr. of Weston Ranch. John Arbuckle of Calaveras followed with the only successful extra point of the night to give the North its final 19-18 edge.
The South still generated 414 yards of offense, compared with 310 for the North, and had one last chance to win. After driving into field-goal range, the South lined up for a 27-yard attempt, but Jordan Doyle of St. Mary's got a hand on the kick to preserve the North's slim lead. Players on the North sideline erupted, knowing the game had been decided by one final clutch play.
McCloskey said the game would have been remembered as a great one either way, but the victory gave the week an even better finish for a group that had bought in from Monday forward. Several players echoed that feeling afterward, saying the practices, work in the heat, and chance to build lasting friendships with stars from other schools made the all-star week one they would remember long after high school ended.
View 2019 North Roster View 2019 South Roster