South prevails in defensive struggle

Posted Jun. 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM

TRACY — The promised offensive tug-of-war turned into a sloppy, but cinematic, defensive struggle.

But unfortunately for the North, the song remained the same, as the South won its second consecutive game in the series and third in the past four years, 28-20 in the 43rd annual District 4-A1 Lions All-Star Football Game on Saturday at Tracy High’s Wayne Schneider Stadium.

Last year’s edition saw the series record for most combined points, at 89, but this time it was far less than that.

“Our defensive played really well tonight, man. There were a lot of times our backs were against the wall and they made big plays,” said North coach Don Norton, Stagg’s head coach the past 11 seasons. “They really kept us in the game tonight. The turnovers we got were key, and we did some things with those turnovers.”

The North surged ahead after trailing 14-6 at half. St. Mary’s Brandon Zaunbrecher sprinted in for a 14-yard touchdown, and Stagg’s Lavante Bushnell hit Manteca’s Ronaldo Tijero with a 2-point conversion pass for the tie.

Soon after, the North took the lead as McNair’s Sean Hamilton shimmied his way in for a 16-yard TD on a screen pass from Calaveras quarterback Dylan Byrd.

But the game’s Offensive MVP, as voted upon by media members, took the South to victory. Los Banos quarterback Adam Herrera capped the eventual game-winning drive with a 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

Herrera also had a 3-yard TD run in the first half. Modesto-Downey’s Tyran Daniels (overall MVP) shocked the North, with a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown to end the first half.

The North had a chance for a last-minute comeback, taking over on the 10-yard line with 1:24 to go, but fell short with four consecutive incompletions.

Tokay safety Nick Arnaiz had two fumble recoveries for the North, including one with a long return to the 9-yard line to set up Zaunbrecher’s second TD. St. Mary’s cornerback Brandon Sanders nabbed two interceptions, Chavez’s Deon White had a first-half interception and Manteca’s Marcus Rivas had a fumble recovery for the North.

“We just had that chemistry. Everyone comes equipped with the right tools for this all-star game,” said Arnaiz, a first-team All-Area defensive back for The Record. “When you’ve got players like that, thing flow a lot easier.”

Modesto-Central Catholic’s Jacob Days put an exclamation point on the South’s win with a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown with 8 seconds remaining.

Calaveras defensive lineman Shane Torre was named the defensive MVP, posting 10 tackles, including five for a loss, and one sack.

“I have to thank our coaches. Stagg has phenomenal coaches, and they really combined us all,” said Torre, a Humboldt State football commit and former state-ranked wrestler. “The intensity and the attitude that everyone plays with — either you’re the best on the field or the worst one on the field, there’s no in-between.

“In the mountains, it’s kind of like, you can just do whatever you want and no one really cares. But up here, you do one thing wrong, and everyone gets on you.”

Torre, also a tight end, didn’t quite fit into the North’s shotgun, wide-open scheme. But Norton and company were happy to have him creating havoc on defense.

“He accepted his role of playing defensive end and did a heck of a job all week,” said Norton, also the North’s coach in 2010.

The North leads the all-time series 24-17-2, but hasn’t won since 2012.

— Contact reporter Thomas Lawrence at (209) 546-8272 or tlawrence@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/sportsblog and on Twitter @RecordPreps.