Modesto defensive star takes top award in shootout Lions All-Star Game
MJ Uili never won more than three games in a season and tallied one Central California Athletic League victory during his four-year varsity career at Modesto High. But he wanted to make a name for himself Saturday when he put on his black Panthers helmet one last time.
Uili was one of nearly 70 high school football players from the class of 2025 who participated in the 49th Central California Lions All-Star Game on Saturday at Tracy High’s Wayne Schneider Stadium. Teams were split into North (players mostly from San Joaquin County) and South (players mostly from Stanislaus County) and gave recently graduated high school football players one last chance to put on the pads.
Though the South could not get its sixth win in seven years, falling in a 42-37 shootout, Uili’s game-high 13 tackles were enough to earn him game Defensive MVP honors. He proved that among some of the top players in the southern part of the Sac-Joaquin Section, he could make a difference.
“He’s super aggressive,” said Downey High and South team head coach Jeremy Plaa, who coached against Uili in the CCAL. “He’s a very physical kid. He’s so good at blitzing, but the fact that we can’t really blitz here, he had to play a different style. But it didn’t affect him — he still made a lot of plays out there.”
Uili was named an all-CCAL second-team linebacker after posting a career-high 71 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss this season for the Panthers in his first full season playing the position. He started as a running back and then slowly made the transition to the defense. He credits former Panthers head coach Dylan Miller for his growth defensively.
“He always tells me to just trust my keys,” Uili said of advice he gets from Miller. “I was doing that all night and it feels good to be the Defensive MVP.”
Uili, like many of the players who participated in Saturday’s contest, will play at Modesto Junio College next season. He knows that college football will be a step up from high school and he has to put in that much more work.
“Starting Monday, I’m going to JC ball. I’m going to start my future over there and see where that takes me.”
In-game controversy
The game was not without controversy.
The all-star game rules, which were given to each official beforehand, say fake punts are not allowed.
On fourth-and- 13 with under five minutes left in the game and a 42-37 lead, the North team, backed up on its own 13-yard line, lined up in what looked like a punt formation. Those on the North side said that after lining up in the formation, a play was relayed from the sideline to North quarterback Zak Willson, who originally was lined up in the backfield as the punter. Willson stepped up two yards, received the snap and completed a pass for the first down.
Plaa immediately protested the call but the referees did not stop the game, saying the North team was not initially in punt formation.
“They lined up the way they did all night to punt, it looked like he was about seven, eight yards deep, but he walked up before the snap,” Plaa said.
The North team would continue running out the clock to seal the victory.
It was not the first mishap in the game, as the South team blocked a punt that should have been called back with seconds left in the third quarter. The all-star game rules state there should be no blocked punts. The South scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it a 28-23 game.
North wins a high-scoring game
The North team won its first Lions game since 2019 in a shootout.
For the third time in the past four years, the game went down to the wire. The North team scored on its first possession and never trailed, but the South made it interesting. Sierra of Manteca’s Zak Willson and Linden’s Matthew Schallberger split quarterbacking duties. Schallberger completed a pass to Offensive MVP Isaac Sagapolu for a seven-yard touchdown pass for the game’s first score.
Merced quarterback Quintell Dupree and Downey’s Carson Lamb split quarterback duties for the South. Dupree scored the South’s first touchdown on a one yard rushing touchdown on their first offensive possession. Lamb tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Dela Rosa and a 47-yard pass to Joseph Delte. Lamb and Delte also combined for another touchdown in the fourth quarter, a double pass that went from Lamb to Delte down field to Noah Cozart for 54 yards.
“All these kids were really great to work with,” Plaa said. “The coaches all enjoyed them, they had great character. They came in and wanted to work and wanted to get better. They were eating during team meals after and it was just a really positive experience all the way around for everybody there.”
Ceres’ Reis Smith finished with eight tackles and a pass deflection, Downey’s Ryne Moore had five tackles and two sacks, Hughson’s Colton Taylor blocked the punt that should have been called back.
Willson was named the game’s MVP after rushing for a 13-yard score, throwing three touchdown passes and throwing for over 200 yards.
All-Star Game Awards
MVP: Zak Willson (Sierra)
Offensive MVP: Isaac Sagapolu (Edison)
Defensive MVP: MJ Uili (Modesto)
North Most Inspirational: Ruben Moreno (Manteca)
South Most Inspirational: Time Sitala Jr. (Turlock)
