Live Oak's Jeff Blean tries to jump a rout during practice Wednesday at Valley Christian High School. Blean, a first-team all-league selection, said the July 15 Silicon Valley Classic will likely be his final game.
SAN JOSE -- After one practice for the upcoming Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game, Valley Christian coach Mike Machado understood why Jon Michael Porras and Nick Borello loved coaching Jeff Blean and Alex Meldrum.
"They're athletic, they compete, and they're scrappy," Machado, coach of the South All-Stars, said Wednesday as the sun went down at Valley Christian High School. "I can see why they were so big for their teams these past years."
The two seniors will be the lone representatives of their schools and city July 15, when the Silicon Valley Youth Classic makes its 35th annual running in San Jose State's Spartan Stadium.
"It's an honor," Meldrum, a two-time all-league receiver at Sobrato, said between reps. "It's great hitting with the big guys, the best around."
Many of the South All-Stars plan to play for NCAA programs or community colleges next year. The Wedemeyer Game is a steppingstone for them, but for players like Blean and Meldrum, it could be the last time they go under the helmet. Meldrum plans to walk on at Boise State in fall, and Blean has tossed around the idea of playing for West Valley College.
"It means a lot to me because this is probably it for me, my last opportunity to play football for the rest of my life," said Blean, a first-team all-league running back/defensive back and team MVP. "I pretty much need to leave everything out there."
Although play-makers on both sides of the ball, Meldrum and Blean will be used primarily at cornerback, judging from Wednesday's practice.
"They work well at corner," Machado said. "Alex did a great job today, and Jeff looked just as good."
Both nearly picked off passes intended for All-State wideout Jabari Carr of Oak Grove and Gilroy's Dante Fullard, a league Co-Athlete of the Year.
"I was a little nervous at first, but once we started hitting and playing together, all that went away," said Blean, who had five touchdowns and two interceptions this season. "It's funny because I went from hating these guys to having these guys as teammates. There's a sense of unity."
That goes even for Blean and Meldrum. Strangely, neither could recall a time they traded paint during their schools' heated rivalry games.
"We get along fine," Meldrum said with a smile. "Hopefully, we'll see more guys from our schools out here next year."
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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