South will rise above adversity to win Lions All-Star Football Classic

The buildup to Saturday’s 43rd annual Lions All-Star Football Classic hasn’t gone smoothly for the South, which has dealt with various roster issues.

Still, the players that have shown up and stuck around remain the cream of the crop in the Stanislaus District, which gives me hope the South can continue its recent run of success in one of the four oldest all-star games in California.

Last year, former Modesto High quarterback Nate Phillips engineered a rousing come-from-behind victory. The South trailed by 17 points at the half, but scored the final 30 points in a 51-38 triumph.

The North owns a 24-16-2 advantage in the series, but the South has won two of the last three games, thanks largely to perseverance. The South’s mettle has already been tested in camp, and for that reason, I predict the South – shrinking roster and all – will prevail in another shootout.

Offensive MVP (South): Without Michael Lawson, who left camp Thursday and cited a fear of further injuring a weakened hamstring, the South is without arguably its most versatile and explosive playmaker. With all the change that has taken place this week, coach Rob Cozart has developed a healthy respect for the one constant, at least offensively: running back Jay Green, a record-setting, three-year star at Beyer. Green was at his best in the Patriots’ biggest games – 200-plus yards versus Central Catholic as a junior – so there’s no reason to think he’ll shrink in the Lions spotlight.

In Patterson’s fast-and-fun spread/option offense, offensive coordinator Steve Cardoso has the ability to get the ball to Green in a number of ways. This should keep the North guessing. Speaking of the North, they’re big on the inside and don’t believe the South will test their interior. Green, who will play at Modesto Junior College, has the strength and speed to play between the tackles and on the perimeter, so it should be an interesting cat-and-mouse game. He should get 10-15 carries. Green will also start in the secondary. He’s one of just two two-way players, with the other being fellow Beyer graduate Javon Pope. Others to watch: Moses Ghiorso, slot/running back, Central Valley; Adam Herrera, quarterback, Los Banos.

Defensive MVP (South): With quarterback Osai Brown of McNair High, Dylan Byrd of Calaveras High and Stagg High’s Lavante Bushnell on the roster, I expect the North to hunt its points through the air. For that reason alone, the South has implemented a 4-2-5 defense. One of those defensive backs will be Tyran Daniels of Downey High, a ball-hawking safety who had five interceptions in the fall. With top-end speed, Daniels is capable of turning an interception or a fumble into points the other way. He was the most decorated player at the Modesto Metro Conference coaches meeting, earning Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Year and first-team honors as a running back and safety. Could a game MVP award be in his future, too?

“Cover 2” breakdown

Editor’s note: Thomas Lawrence of The (Stockton) Record and I break down the game. Lawrence covers the North. The following is an excerpt of our blog; the full version can be found at http://blogs.esanjoaquin.com. If you’d like to join in our complete coverage of the game, use the hashtag “#Lions2016.”

Lawrence: The North is deeper in its aerial game than it was a year ago. And here’s the tricky part for the South, besides the usual “we have one week to prepare for a team full of collegiate-level players.”

Stagg’s Bushnell, a first-team All-Area utility player for The Record, could very well play quarterback, but he’ll probably be used mostly as a receiver.

McNair’s Brown was The Record’s first-team All-Area quarterback, and has an amazing rapport with North wide receiver Sean Hamilton (McNair), a Sacramento State Hornet to-be. Hamilton was underrated in my opinion, probably because of playing alongside now-Nebraska Cornhusker Derrion Grim.

Keep an eye out for St. Mary’s running back Brandon Zaunbrecher, Calaveras tight end and Humboldt State commit Shane Torre, and Chavez running back Terrance Ritzow.

Looking at the South’s offense, we know Cozart’s Patterson teams can fly around the field. And, we certainly saw that last year from the South, from Downey’s Jeremy Plaa. What do you expect from their offensive attack?

Burns: Much of the same. Under Plaa, the South utilized a mobile quarterback (P.J. Wilson and later Phillips, the game’s MVP) to keep the defense in constant flux. Will he run? Or will he throw? Under Cozart, with his hybrid spread/option tempo offense, the South will feature similar triggermen – Oakdale’s Adam Olsen and Los Banos’ Herrera, yet another Humboldt State commit.

Neither one looked comfortable throwing the ball early in the week, but the South isn’t necessarily looking for the home-run ball. Cozart and offensive coordinator Cardoso want to get the ball out quick, which means we can expect a lot of short routes by the receivers and leak-outs by the running backs. The saving grace for the South is the caliber of athlete at the skill positions. Wide receiver David Walker of Los Banos is a big target, while Ghiroso might be the most versatile athlete in this game. With Lawson out of the game, Central Valley’s Ghiorso, a new addition, fills that dynamic, points-per-touch role.

Olsen and Herrera are capable runners and will be looked upon to tuck the ball from time to time, but I believe the back to watch is Beyer’s Green, who earned the Modesto Metro Conference MVP. Green isn’t the biggest or the fastest, but he is a workhorse back that relishes the challenge.

Defensively, what can the North do to slow the South?

TL: It’s a good thing the South is not looking for that constant home run ball, because the North’s secondary is one of its greatest strengths.

Chavez cornerback Deon White, for example, allowed only two receptions when he was in one-on-one coverage with a receiver last year. That receiver was Grim, who’s becoming incredibly popular in Lincoln, Neb., just through his spring-ball exploits.

St. Mary’s cornerback Brandon Sanders, Tokay safety Nick Arnaiz and Weston Ranch all-around standout Erron Duncan make that unit a beast to handle. And there’s enough speed to counter the South’s weapons, and eliminate some of that space they’ll be striving to find.

North coach Don Norton of Stagg plans on stifling the South’s interior running game, anchored by 6-foot-3, 420-pound Edison lineman Frederick Elkins. And with that, he hopes the South will attack the edges, where he trusts his tacklers’ speed to make the stop.

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 5:22 PM with the headline "South will rise above adversity to win Lions All-Star Football Classic."