By Bill Dickens
MaxPreps.com
High school football fanatics spend the summer months sifting through gossip and sorting through rumors via the various Internet chat rooms. Others attend passing league tournaments, which consist of 7-on-7 non-tackling matchups.
Passing league hardly falls under the banner of Friday Night Lights.
Those seeking the real thing should attend the 18th annual Alex Spanos All-Star Football Classic, which features last season's top high school seniors – Friday, July 11 at Mt. Carmel High at 7:30.
The game pits a team of North County players against a South squad consisting of athletes from East County, South County and City Conference schools.
Poway's Damian Gonzalez is coaching the North, while Eastlake's John McFadden guides the South.
Pirates Gold
All-section linebacker Matthew Segi, lineman Richard So’oto and linebacker Josh Fely from Division II state-champion Oceanside will play for the North All-Stars. No question these guys know how to win.
Walker on the Run
Christian High running back Lawrence Walker, who scored 31 touchdowns en route to a section-high 190 points and ranked No. 3 in rushing (1,852 yards) as a senior, leads the South attack. Walker will attend Grossmont Community College where he should draw national attention.
Alumni Aces
This event has annually attracted some of the San Diego Section’s finest high school players. At the top of the list is Helix High graduate Alex Smith, who quarterbacked the South All-Stars in the 2002 game. Smith went on to earn All-America honors at Utah and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft by San Francisco 49ers. Others taking snaps in past classics include Valley Center graduate Kevin Craft (2004) and El Capitan’s Ryan Lindley (2007). Craft is bidding for the starting QB job at UCLA this fall while Lindley reportedly is the quarterback of choice at San Diego State as a redshirt freshman.
Close Encounters
Trailing 19-6 in the 2006 classic, the South prevailed thanks to a pair of scoring scrambles by West Hills quarterback Philip Staback in the final minute for a one-point victory. Five of the last eight games in this series have been decided by six points or fewer.
Commentary:
This mid-summer affair features 88 players, a healthy turnout considering that many candidates who have scholarships in hand have been directed not to participate by their respective college coaches. Obviously, that has led several of last season’s senior standouts to skip this event.
According to Gary Chapman, the chairman of the Spanos All-Star Classic, many of the potential participants are attending summer school and receiving compensation as part of their college scholarships.
“We weren’t sure how that would affect our game,” Chapman said. “But I’m pleased by our numbers. The kids we have out there want to play in this game.”
Football all-star games have been part of the San Diego prep sports scene for more than three decades. The format has varied, including a series of West Los Angeles-vs.-San Diego matchups in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The High School Sports Association – a group comprised of former coaches – has taken the lead to keep this game alive. Chargers’ owner Alex Spanos has supplied solid support in recent years as well.
“This game would not be anything like it is today without the help of the Chargers organization,” Chapman said.
The Spanos All-Star Classic is the second longest continuous running all-star football game in the state. Only the Shrine Prep All-Star Game in Los Angeles has a longer run.