North beats South in Spanos All-Star Classic

A ball-hawking defense and four touchdown passes from two quarterbacks were enough to get the North back on the winning track.

Maranatha Christian High School linebacker Aaron Tasin had three interceptions to spark the defense and La Costa Canyon wide receiver Jackson Maggiore snagged two touchdown receptions Saturday as the North All-Stars claimed a 34-14 victory over the South in the 35th annual Alex Spanos All-Star Classic at Mira Mesa High School.

“It feels great to represent a small school,” said Tasin, who made two first-half interceptions and added a third pick with 5:20 remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the South’s fate and earn Most Valuable Player honors for the North squad. “I had coaches and teammates that I didn’t know before this game who welcomed me with open arms, and they put me in position to make those plays.”

Last year, the North avoided its first loss since 2015 by rallying from an eight-point deficit with just over three minutes remaining in the contest to forge a 14-14 tie, the first stalemate in the history of the Spanos Classic.

This year’s North team made sure that didn’t happen again, scoring on its first two possessions and never looking back.

“These kids were all coached real well by their high school coaches,” said North head coach Scott Ashby of Torrey Pines, who had coached in five previous all-star games as an assistant. “They really got their heads into the playbook, and they were all very mentally well-prepared.”

Quarterbacks Quinn Roth of La Costa Canyon and Robert Renteria of San Pasqual each threw a pair of touchdown passes for the North.

The North built a 21-0 advantage by halftime, with two of the scores set up by defensive takeaways.

After the South was stopped on its first possession of the game, the North used nine plays to advance 59 yards to an 8-yard touchdown pass from Roth to Vista running back Broc Schweikhard. The key play on the scoring drive was a 47-yard reception by Mission Hills wide receiver Myzael Quakenbush from Roth to the 10-yard line on a third-and-21 situation.

An interception on a screen pass by Tasin halted the South’s next possession and led to a 33-yard scoring pass from Roth to Maggiore as the North established a 14-0 advantage with 1:54 remaining in the opening period.

Tasin collected another theft with a leaping interception at the North 36-yard line as the first quarter ended.

Although the North was unable to take advantage, a fumble recovery by La Costa Canyon linebacker Henry Mallory ended the South’s deepest penetration of the first half at the North 14-yard line.

Two plays after the turnover, Renteria found Mission Hills receiver Josh Gonzales streaking down the right sideline for an 88-yard TD strike with 5:05 left before halftime.

Shortly thereafter, an apparent 70-yard punt return for a score by La Costa Canyon safety Ford Mitchell was nullified by a blindside block penalty.

Roth and Renteria accounted for 219 yards passing in the first half for the North All-Stars, and Renteria wasn’t done … finding another receiver for a long touchdown as he helped provide a quick response following the first score of the game by the South.

Lincoln wide receiver King David Dunn caught a 7-yard scoring pass from Olympian quarterback Jayden Fuentes to get the South on the scoreboard with 5:28 left in the third period, but Oceanside defensive end Hezekiah Wells broke through the line to block the extra-point try.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Renteria launched a double-reverse pass which Maggiore caught before racing untouched to the end zone for an 80-yard score.

On the North’s next possession, Roth connected on passes of 18 yards to Mission Hills running back Patrick Fleming and 28 yards to Gonzales to set up a 6-yard scoring run by Ramona offensive lineman Vincent Hayes to boost the North lead to 34-6 with 10:20 left in the contest.

A 10-yard TD run for the South by Holtville running back Enrique Armas with 7:05 remaining closed out the scoring. Armas was the game’s leading rusher with 12 carries for 59 yards.

“As a team, we bonded really well even though we only had two weeks of practice,” said Roth, who completed 7 of 12 passes for 138 yards and two scores. “A big reason we did so well is because we had no selfish players at all.”

Dunn, who had six catches for 104 yards and one score, was named the South MVP.

”It was an honor to have the opportunity to coach these guys in this game,” said South coach Howard Bannister of Otay Ranch. “They had another opportunity to play, and some of these guys will be moving on to play in college, but for others, this was their last game.”

The Alex Spanos All-Star Classic is sponsored by the Los Angeles Chargers and the High School Sports Association.

North 34, South 14

South  0  0  6  8 – 14North  14  7  7  6 – 34

N – Schweikhard 8 pass from Roth (kick failed)N – Maggiore 33 pass from Roth (Fleming run)N – Gonzales 88 pass from Renteria (Magnus kick)S – Dunn 7 pass from Fuentes (kick failed)N – Maggiore 80 pass from Renteria (Magnus kick)N – Hayes 6 run (kick failed)S – Armas 10 run (Carrillo pass from Arnold