Tracy Press - Football: North snaps losing streak, wins 49th Lions All-Star game

Photo credit: Joe Roswell (Tracy Press).

The North snapped its recent slide in the Lions All-Star series by defeating the South 42-37 at Tracy High's Wayne Schneider Stadium in the 49th edition of the Lions All-Star Football Game.

The North was led by head coach Tony Franks of St. Mary's and got major contributions from local players including Elijah Gutierrez, Lucky Tupouata, Derek Bogetti, Jermaine Nance, and Jaylin Rodgers. Gutierrez led the game in rushing with 49 yards and also went 6-for-6 on PATs, while Nance added 39 rushing yards and Rodgers helped anchor a defense that came up with key stops.

Zak Wilson of Sierra earned the Wayne Schneider MVP after going a perfect 11-for-11 for 205 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for another score. Isaac Sagapolu of Edison was named the Les Ratzlaff Offensive MVP after catching five passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns, and M.J. Uili of Modesto took the Bob Mattos Defensive MVP with a game-high 13 tackles for the South.

The scoring swung back and forth all night as the North answered an early South touchdown with scores from Sagapolu, Wilson, Terrence Hampton, and Marcus Harrison. The South stayed within reach behind Carson Lamb, Joseph Delte, Adarias Morales-Saetern, and Noah Cozart, but Cody Ferrante scored what felt like the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and a clutch fourth-down connection from Matthew Schallberger to Harrison helped the North seal the win and push its all-time series edge to 27-19-2.