Stout, Garza Lead Dominant South Win in 47th Lions All-Star Football Game
Eleazar Garza of Golden Valley returned from a broken fibula and severe ankle injury to help lead the South past the North 38-13 in the 47th Central Valley Lions All-Star Game at Tracy High School. Garza had gone down in an October league game against Patterson, tried to play through it, and later worked back ahead of schedule, running and cutting weeks before he had originally expected. In his first game back in pads since the injury, he shared quarterback duties with Cole Gilbert of Turlock, threw touchdown passes of 21 and 46 yards, and earned the Les Ratzlaff Offensive MVP Award.
Joey Stout of Pitman helped set the tone from the start for the South. He broke loose for a 68-yard jet sweep touchdown in the first quarter, caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Garza in the second, and finished as the winner of the Wayne Schneider All-Star Game MVP Award. The long history between Garza and Stout, who had faced each other since youth football, showed up quickly as the two connected for one of the key scoring plays that turned the game firmly toward the South.
The North answered early after falling behind 7-0. Kimball's Jayden Mckey found Edison's Tyree Owens for a first-quarter touchdown, and Edison's Johnel Pettus added a second-quarter rushing score. But the Garza-Stout touchdown pass sparked a run of 31 unanswered points, and the South never lost control after that burst.
The South got scoring and support throughout the lineup. Jahkylle Smith of Golden Valley rushed for two touchdowns, Vincent Lopez of Orestimba caught Garza's second touchdown pass, and Christian Casillas of Patterson made a 27-yard field goal and all five extra points. On defense, Roland Brown of Central Catholic earned the Bob Mattos Defensive MVP Award with two interceptions and four tackles, while Jaelen Nichols added an interception, LeBron Stallworth of Ceres had two sacks, and Luis Vargas of Hilmar recorded a team-high 10 tackles.
The game marked the return of the Lions All-Star event for the first time since 2019. The North had to adjust before kickoff after nearly 10 players who had committed to play opted out, forcing coach Booker Guyton to bring in recent Edison graduates and a few replacements from other schools. Even with that late shuffle, the North still forced three interceptions and recovered a fumble, but the South scored in every quarter and reached the end zone on four straight possessions spanning the second and fourth quarters. Co-head coaches Trent Merzon, Mark Malone, and Tim Garcia guided a group that executed on both sides of the ball and capped the week with a dominant win.