1st All-Star Arizona-Southern California H.S. Football Game Takes Place

June 27, 2011 / Football

It was 112 degrees an hour before kickoff Saturday. Several of the top players from Arizona and Southern California weren’t here mostly because of college commitments.

Still, it was history in the making and everybody, it seemed, envisioned the Arizona-Southern California high school All-Star football game getting bigger and better in future years.

Host Arizona lost the inaugural event 27-7 at Surprise Stadium before an estimated crowd of 3,000.

“It was great,” said Avondale Westview coach Jeff Bowen, who led the Arizona squad with an All-Star staff of coaches. “There’s a lot of respect between the states and coaches. I thought it was a real positive experience for everybody.”

Dick Larson, 77, said he felt privileged to be asked to lead Southern California’s first group of All-Stars to Arizona. La Verne Damien High’s football stadium was named after him last season. In 23 years, Larson led the school to two California Interscholastic Federation titles and sent countless players to colleges.

“I commend the Arizona bunch,” Larson said. “They made it a good football game.”

Arizona led 7-6 at halftime. Phoenix Central defensive back Dallas Nichols scored the game’s first touchdown, stripping the ball from quarterback Vernon Adams and running 82 yards into the end zone.

While the defense held its own for the most part, the Arizona offense was stagnant throughout. Quarterback Rathen Ricedorff of Show Low was intercepted twice in the first half and his backup, Devonte Smythe of Phoenix Washington, fumbled at the Southern California 2 after Westview’s Jordan Champion returned a kickoff 95 yards.

“You know something, at this level, the mental framework is important,” Larson said. “There has to be a diversity of talent. These kids played well and did a good job.”

California is filled with All-Star games, but Larson felt this game had more meaning.

“It encompasses a large portion of Southern California, San Diego, the L.A. city schools,” he said. “It’s a good representation.”

Arizona didn’t have 12 players originally chosen in December to play in the game. Some don’t want to play because they don’t want to risk injury entering their first year in college. Some colleges discourage playing for the same reason. Some players are already in college, taking summer courses and doing workouts with future teammates.

Almost every high school coach would like to see the game played in December or January when the players haven’t signed and have more incentive to play.

But the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s bylaws prevent that, because it feels it is hurting the winter sports teams, taking those student-athletes away.

Lee Brush, executive director of the Arizona Football Coaches Association, said he won’t abandon hope of getting the AIA to change its bylaw.

Most California students don’t graduate until the first or second week of June, which makes it difficult to play the game earlier than now.

Brush was able to get Under Armour to be a lead sponsor of the game. With Under Armour’s ties to ESPN, Brush worked on getting ESPNU to televise the game nationally. That didn’t happen. But there is hope for the future.

Glendale Cactus coach Larry Fetkenhier, who was on the staff that coached Saturday’s game, said he believes the game will grow.

“The biggest disappointment to me, and I’m sure for (Southern California), too, was the number of kids who couldn’t participate,” he said. “We lost some really good kids. It would be great PR for a (college) to have these kids playing.

“I think it’s a real positive thing. I think it will get bigger and better. I’d love to see the game played in December. One, for the weather. You could probably get more kids in the game because it’s during a time when they’re being recruited and some have not been offered yet. Tie it in with a bowl game. It would help magnify it. But for a first go-round, it was good.”

Brush said the plan is to play the Arizona-Southern California game here again next year, then possibly starting a rotation series between having it played here and on the West Coast.

Running back/kicker Nephi Garcia of Palm Springs, chosen the game’s MVP, said friendships were formed with Arizona players. “We were all good friends during the week, but once the game started, it was no friends and we were all in game mode,” Garcia said. “I see thousands of people coming. I see it moving to a bigger place. This was an amazing thing they did for us. They fed us, everything.”


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