North has edge in speed, size for Lions Game

When it comes to the Lions All-Star Football Game, you can’t always pick who the winner will be based just on the names on the roster.

But we’re going to give it our best shot.

The North and South meet Saturday night in the 31st annual all-star game, which will be played at Harrison Stadium in Oroville. Gates open at 6 p.m. and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

The contest is being played in the south end of the valley for the first time since 2000 and this is the first time Harrison Stadium has hosted the game since back-to-back games in 1982 and 1983.

At first glance, it would appear that the North has a distinct advantage over the South when it comes to size on the line and speed in the backfield. However one advantage the South has is that the North is a bit in the dark as to what offense the South will run. The South coach is Champion’s Dan Henry, who coaches eight-man football. Films of Champion’s games won’t help the North coaches a whole heck of a lot in determining the South’s offensive attack.

So to determine which team has the edge in Saturday’s game, here’s a unit-by-unit breakdown for both teams.

Wide Receivers – Speed at the receiver position is not a problem for the North. Foothill’s Kyle Johnston was one of the quickest players in the Northern Section last year and that allowed him to 24 touchdowns. He’s joined by Tulelake’s Rey Chavolla, who actually played running back for the Honkers but ranks as one of the best sprinters in the section. He scored 20 times in 2007.

Then there’s Ethan Ostrom of West Valley and Anthony Halbersma of Shasta. Ostrom was a threat to run or catch the ball and he will be used in that capacity by the North. He ran for 594 yards last year and caught 22 passes for 373 yards. Meanwhile Halbersma led the Northern Section in receptions with 51.

The South can’t quite match the speed, but there is still plenty of athletic ability. Sean Reynolds of Pleasant Valley had 10 receiving touchdowns for the Vikings and averaged 20 yards per catch. Joey Villasenor of Lindhurst, meanwhile, caught 38 passes for 603 yards for the Sac-Joaquin Section champion Blazers. Then there is Michael Barber of Pierce, who is an all-around athlete who played receiver, running back and quarterback for the Bears last year.

The South has talent, but the North has more depth and better speed.

EDGE – North

Tight Ends – The tight ends for the North will probably be used more as blockers, considering that Foothill, which is where Bryan Hamilton of the North coached, rarely threw to the tight end. The North will line up in a double tight end formation, however, which means West Valley’s Andy Miller, Tulelake’s Luke Woodson and Hamilton’s Jamisson Parker will see plenty of playing time. All three are stout players who will give the North an additional blocker to help aid the running game.

The South went with a pair of Pleasant Valley Vikings in Brett McMurray and Addison Dwyer to go along with Paradise’s Jacob Prinz. This trio caught a combined eight passes last year, seven of them by McMurray and one by Prinz. So whether or not they will be a big factor in the passing game is still unknown.

Give the edge to the North due to the group’s value as blockers on the line.

EDGE – North

Offensive Line – Last year there was a big mismatch in size differential between the two offensive lines. This year, not so much. The South has a couple of 250-pound bruisers from Lindhurst at guard in James Williams and Steve Stanaland. Meanwhile 275-pound Giovanni Muniz of Williams will also help out at that position. At tackle, the South has 6-5, 256-pound Tyler Shelgren of Marysville and 6-4, 315-pound Alex Pinto of Wheatland. Add in 6-3, 240-pound Andrew Gomez of Biggs and you have a pretty solid front line. All-section pick Spencer Fogleman of Pleasant Valley helps fill out the unit.

The North also has plenty of size. Start with the Enterprise duo of Shane Zink, 6-8, 290, and Ryan Burks, 6-4, 250, and add in the Dolci twins of Trinity. Dimitri Dolci is 5-10, 200 and Quintin is 5-10, 230. Teddy Robertson of Foothill (6-4, 250), Eric Hubbard of Fall River (6-3, 270), and Clint Raschke of Mercy (6-3, 300) add size to an already large line. Modoc’s Jacob Kettler, possibly the unit’s best overall lineman, fills out the squad at center.

Both units look solid.

EDGE – Even

Quarterback – Fans who expect a lot of passing from North quarterback Cole Johnston of Foothill will probably be disappointed, but that doesn’t mean Johnston won’t provide plenty of excitement. Probably the fastest player in the game, Johnston will likely have some long runs before the night is over. He is also running the offense he used at Foothill with his coach calling the plays. That will help give the North the edge in play execution.

Johnston’s backup, Kyson Culp of Yreka, cannot be discounted. He threw for over 3,000 yards in his career and is an adept runner as well.

The South will likely be more pass oriented with River Valley’s Josh Hudson doing much of the damage. Last year he threw for 1,489 yards and nine touchdowns for River Valley, which was in its first year as a varsity team with seniors.

Jon Hayes of Paradise is the backup to Hudson. He’ll be more likely to run the ball as he threw for 693 yards and ran for 504 yards last year.

Johnston and the North get the edge because of his familiarity with the offense.

EDGE – North

Running backs – When it comes to running the football, not many have done it any better than Wheatland’s Andrew McCleary. He ranks as the Northern Section’s third all-time leading rusher with 4,667 yards. He also became one of the players in section history to rush for over 2,000 yards after gaining 2,028 yards last year.

He’s joined in the backfield by fullback Alex Daddow of East Nicolaus, who gained 1,468 yards and scored 16 touchdowns a year ago. Players like Kegan Waite of Gridley and Trey Barnes of Oroville will give the South versatility with their ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Then there’s James Fox of Live Oak, who ran for 1,487 yards last year.

The North counters with a solid, although less deep unit that includes Hamilton’s Craig Lohse and Lassen’s Josh Baum. Lohse ran for 1,793 yards last year while Baum scooted for 1,387. Johnston’s ability to run the ball from the quarterback position will figure into the North’s ability to run the ball.

The South clearly has the depth here.

EDGE – South.

Kicking Game – Not sure who has the edge here because neither team was able to get a strong kicker on the team. Mitchell Barsotti of Maxwell was an original selection for the South, but he will be playing at the Joe DiMaggio World Series instead. Quinton Dolci of the North was the only player for either squad to successfully kick an extra point last year and he made three. The two teams are in a little better shape in the punting department with Halbersma and Waite both handling those duties for their teams last year.

The kicking game will be interesting Saturday.

EDGE – Even.

Defensive Line – Both the North and the South have their share of sack artists on the defensive line. Tulelake’s Luke Woodson of the North led the section with 18 sacks last year while Sutter’s Tyler Morehead of the South had 14. Prinz added 10.5 sacks for the south while Foothill’s Teddy Robertson of the North had nine. The North appears to have a little more bulk in the middle of the line, however, with Burks, Zink, Hubbard and Lassen’s Rusty Scovel (6-2, 220).

EDGE – North

Linebackers – The North is absolutely loaded at this position. Start with Logan Dysert of Etna, who had 173 tackles last year, and then there is Yreka’s Jeremy Turner (170 tackles ) and Foothill’s Casey Robertson (164). The Dolci’s are also solid with Dimitri racking up 152 tackles and Quintin getting 133 last year. Throw in Andy Miller of West Valley (122 tackles) for good measure.

The South is also solid with Daddow (section best 206 tackles) and McCleary (120) to go with Fox and Willows’ Kent Thayer.

Overall depth gives edge to North.

EDGE – North

Defensive backs – The South does not have a lot of depth at defensive back, but it does have some talent. Villasenor, Barber, Barnes and Reynolds offer plenty of athletic ability while Williams’ Diego Velazquez will provide the heavy hitting.

The North counters with quickness with the likes of Baum, Chavolla, Ostrom and Kyle Johnston.

Slight edge here for the South.

EDGE – South.