Live Oak's Matt Acosta, left, and Sobrato's Kyle Butcher hold defensive end Matt Turituri of Wilcox at bay during Wednesday's 34th Annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game in Spartan Stadium.
With four minutes left in regulation, the game that Matt Acosta and Kyle Butcher always dreamed of playing in had been reduced to little more than a fight for pride.
And so they fought.
With the South trailing 21-12 in the 34th Annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game, the two Morgan Hill linemen - Acosta of Live Oak, Butcher of Sobrato - plowed the road for one last scoring drive that nearly turned the tide. The South traveled 45 yards in four plays in Spartan Stadium, capping the stretch with a collegiate-caliber 24-yard touchdown strike from Arjun Ashokkumar to Valley Christian's David Henderson, who made a toe-dragging snag in the back of the end zone.
Although picturesque, the play only garnished Wednesday's result: a 21-19 victory for the North, which overcame a 12-point deficit to claim its third straight victory in the Silicon Valley Youth Classic.
"For that drive, all we were thinking was keep your blocks and just give (Ashokkumar) enough time," said Butcher, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-3, 275-pound division Offensive Lineman of the Year. "Time was running out, and we needed something big. It felt awesome when (Henderson) made that catch."
Ashokkumar had plenty of time to throw. The Yerba Buena product had his blind side walled off by the all-league tandem of Acosta at guard and Butcher at tackle. After five seconds in the pocket, Ashokkumar unloaded.
"We weren't nervous," said Acosta, who dressed for the Acorns along with teammates Kyle Hennings and Garrett Webb. "We knew what we had to do."
The South offense would get another shot at victory - but with 2:11 remaining and 80 yards ahead. Its final drive started with a sack and ended with an 8-yard pass from Ashokkumar to Henderson as time expired.
"It's tough to go down like that," Acosta said. "We gave ourselves a chance there at the end. What more can you do? They were just ready for us."
And just like that, the high school careers of four Morgan Hill all-stars ended. Months ago, the Almaden Rotary Club selected them to play one last game among the best in Silicon Valley. From practicing at Pioneer High School to pregame player introductions, they savored every minute.
"It was over way too fast," said Webb, who saw time at middle linebacker and on special teams. "After we ran out before the game, you didn't have time to get lost in the moment. It was an unbelievable feeling. The game was a small part of it. Bonding with these guys at practice, that was the real experience."
The loss took little away from it.
"Obviously, you want to go out with a win," Butcher began, "but when you put up a fight like that at the end and play a great game, you can't be too disappointed."
Acosta and Butcher made blocks for an offense that gained 281 yards. Webb and the defense, meanwhile, totaled four sacks and forced one turnover - a first-quarter fumble recovery by Oak Grove's Daniel Ochoa which led to the game's first score.
Hennings, a defensive back, was nursing a sprained ankle but handled long-snapping duty for the South.
"It was fun to at least do something," he said. "I wanted to get in there on defense, though. Not being able to, that was pretty tough for me, but being out here, it was indescribable."
Hennings, Acosta and Butcher are planning to play football together for West Valley College,in fall, while aims to do the same for Gavilan College.
"We can't wait to get back out there," Hennings added.
The South was on pace to break its losing streak until the final three minutes of the first half. That's when the North picked up steam with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Danny Young of Los Altos to Palo Alto wideout Mike Scott. It highlighted an eight-play, 60-yard drive that left 13 seconds before the half.
"Everything just stopped working for us after that," Acosta said. "I don't know what happened."
The North went ahead 14-12 after a 4-yard touchdown blast by Nick Kalpin of Los Gatos, and broke the game open following an interception by Fremont's Daunte Mills. That set up a 39-yard touchdown run by Milpitas' Havelock Pomele to start the fourth quarter.
The 21-point swing prompted South coach Mark Krail to call a quick team meeting.
"I told them not to give up," said Krail, who coaches Pioneer. "I said, 'it's not over yet.' The guys didn't give up. I was proud of them for that."
Krail got his troops back on track by running the ball away from Los Gatos linebacker Karl Winkelman - and toward Acosta and Butcher's side.
"They did a great job blocking for us," Krail added. "We had good rhythm running the ball behind them. They stepped up."
The South used trickery to build its early lead. Krail called a fake field goal in the second quarter, which resulted in a 17-yard touchdown shovel pass from holder Tanner Burns of Valley Christian to a sweeping Roger Rose Jr., of Gunderson.
The North turned the ball over on a fourth-and-1 play during its next drive, and the South struck again. Ashokkumar connected with Krail's son Kevin Krail of Leland for 12 yards, and Andrew Hill tailback A.J. Ellis broke for a 14-yard gain before plowing in from three yards out to make it 12-0.
"We had everything going for us," Acosta said. "We lost that in the second half but if we had another quarter, we definitely would have won this game."
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
POST A COMMENT
If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate.
Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.
Hope flies again
