South all-stars focus on fun, bonding

From music at practice to team walks in the morning, Downey football coach Jeremy Plaa has tried to keep the atmosphere light for his all-stars.

He hopes that approach will pay off Saturday night, in the 42nd annual Lions All-Star Football Game at Wayne Schneider Stadium at Tracy High.

Kickoff is at 7 o’clock.

One of the four oldest high school all-star games in California, this annual battle of North vs. South is steeped in tradition. The North owns a 24-15-2 advantage in the series and has won eight of the last 11 meetings.

Last year’s game ended 21-21. Two years ago, former Downey quarterback Aaron Zwahlen propelled the South to victory with a field goal in the final seconds.

None of that means much to today’s South all-stars, who invaded the campus of Cal State Stanislaus this week. While they respect the names and games that have come before them, Plaa said their focus is solely on performing their best.

“It’s difficult because in these all-star games, you don’t care too much about tradition,” said Plaa, who led Downey to its third straight Modesto Metro Conference title in the fall. He’s coaching in his second Lions game; his first appearance came in 2004 as Gustine’s head coach. “We want them to go out and have fun.”

Snapshots from throughout this week suggest the South is right on schedule.

▪ Waterford running back Dante Berggren zips through a tiny space on the offensive line and into open space. His momentum carries him into the vicinity of the wide receivers, leading to some playful banter between the players.

“There are plenty of clowns on the team,” Modesto defensive back/wide receiver Nate Phillips said. “Dante is always yelling, getting everyone all wound up.”

▪ Downey quarterback P.J. Wilson hums along with the practice play list as he straps on his protective vest.

▪ Then there’s Los Banos linebacker Alex Barcellos, sitting in the middle of a loud team cluster trying his best to follow the stories blasting off in every direction.

“Some of these guys will play ball together at the (community college level) or against each other at small colleges,” Plaa said. “I know they won’t forget this week or their new friendships.”

On top of installing his offense and defense, Plaa and his staff have tried to cram into their schedule as many nonfootball activities as possible.

On Monday evening, when temperatures peaked in the 100s, the South broke practice early and headed straight for the pool.

They began their Tuesday morning with a casual walk around campus, working out the soreness, and finished the day with “team talks,” in which each player was quizzed about his roommate.

When it came to bunk assignments, Plaa split up natural teammates and existing friendships and paired strangers, hoping to foster friendships.

“We made sure nobody was from the same school and had different positions in each room,” Plaa said. “We forced them to meet new people.

“If we’re going to be successful on Saturday night, we have to build that trust. We had 27 kids out there (Monday), and most of them didn’t know each other. We have to build trust, so they want to win for each other.”

Phillips is convinced the coaching tactic has galvanized a team of former rivals and strangers.

“We’ve gotten closer just from talking about life outside of ball,” Phillips said. “Being a true family-oriented team is what will take us to victory come Saturday.

“No matter what happens in the game, we’re leaving it all on the field – for the team.”

This story was originally published June 12, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "South all-stars focus on fun, bonding."