COSTA MESA — In a game tainted by multiple fights and personal fouls, the South beat the North 28-0 Saturday in the Orange County North-South All-Star Classic football game at Orange Coast College.
The game was called with 5 minutes and 29 seconds remaining in the game after a fight broke out after an interception by the South. This was the first time the game had been called early due to fighting since 2006.
“It’s always really hard in these all-star games when things get a little chippy,” South coach Dan O’Shea of St. Margaret’s said. “It’s not something myself or any coaches on either side want to be a part of. One guy makes a mistake and unfortunately guys react and mayhem ensues.”
Saturday was the ninth consecutive win for the South. The South leads the series 35-26-3.
Edison linebacker Hoi Hansen was awarded Player of the Game by game officials. Hansen had 11 tackles on defense for the South and had a 40-yard touchdown run.
“It feels great,” Hansen said. “I’m very sad it’s over but very happy to end my high school career like that.”
“Hoi Hansen is just a monster,” O’Shea said. “He can hit, he can run and do it all.”
The shutout was the first in the game since 1995. O’Shea credited the starting linebackers group of Hansen, Jack Matranga (Mission Viejo), Jake Javorsky (San Juan Hills) and Jackson Sievers (Capistrano Valley).
“The linebackers we rolled out there are studs,” O’Shea said. “They process information so quickly and tackle well. They were the catalyst of everything the defense did tonight.”
Noah Sulick (Santa Margarita), Brandon Soleau (Huntington Beach) and Clarence Chaney (JSerra) also played linebacker for the South.
Cameron Denoon of Newport Harbor had six tackles with a sack and a pass deflection for the South.
Joshua Faulkner of Western led the North defense with six tackles and Josh Grethen of Yorba Linda had five tackles with a sack.
After a scoreless opening possession by both teams, Matranga intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to give the South a 7-0 lead.
For the South, St. Margaret’s quarterback Max Ruff and Edison receiver Mason York connected for two touchdowns from 33 and 37 yards out, respectively.
Ruff, a University of Chicago signee, had 170 yards passing with two touchdowns. York, a Weber State signee, had 123 yards receiving on four catches with two touchdowns.
“It felt amazing to come out here and compete with some of the best players in the county,” Ruff said. “It was awesome getting to meet new guys and talk about football. The whole experience was a lot of fun.”
Hansen ran for a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 28-0.
The South had five sacks in the game. Denoon, Soleau, Sievers, Makai Sagiao (Edison) and Alex Zeppos (Tesoro) each tallied sacks.
Both North quarterbacks, Nicholas Miali of Foothill and Anthony Luna of Western, tallied 91 yards passing. The North offense had two big plays, a 30-yard run by Danny F. Washington of Buena Park, and a 35-yard catch by Aidan O’Callaghan of Servite.
Despite the unfortunate way the game ended, it was apparent that both teams had a camaraderie and enjoyed the experience.
“This was such an amazing group, camaraderie wise,” O’Shea said. “They enjoyed coming together and playing football. This group synced up from the get-go. Forty guys became close friends in a short amount of time.”
