Five first half touchdowns by Selinsgrove’s Logan Leiby paved the way for the District IV South All-Star team in a 63-20 rout of the District IV North All-Star team in Friday’s 28th annual game put on by the South Williamsport Lions Club at South Williamsport’s Rodney K. Morgans Stadium.
18 seconds into the game Leiby connected with teammate Ricky Cope on a 53 strike putting the South up 7-0 following Elijah Hoffman’s extra point. Two minutes later Leiby threw his second scoring strike, this one to Line Mountain’s Brenden Cregger for 15 yards. After another two minutes, Leiby had his third touchdown pass, a 19-yard strike to teammate Jarrett Inch, and the South All-Stars were up 21-0.
Both teams traded scores in the second quarter starting with the North squad. Jersey Shore’s Elijah Shemory found the end zone from 5 yards out with 11:28 to cut it to 21-7 following North Penn-Mansfield’s Justin Kriner’s extra point. Leiby took back over for the South team, throwing his fourth touchdown to Bloomsburg’s Eric Foust from 15 yards out to push the score to 28-7 with 7:27 remaining until halftime.
The North answered back three minutes later as this time Shemory found North Penn-Mansfield’s Dylan Wesneski from 6 yards out to make it 28-14 after Kriner’s kick.
The South squad capped the half as Leiby connected with Cope again from 29 yards out, putting the South comfortably ahead 35-14 at intermission.
The South squad picked up right where they left off in the third and added three most scores in the quarter. Their first score came from Shikellamy’s Gabe Tilford on a 55-yard scamper with 7:02 remaining, followed by a 21-yard blocked punt return by Lewisburg’s Tony Dressler with 5:59. Then with 1:00 left, Shamokin’s Devin Pietkiewicz scored from 65 yards out.
The North squad sandwiched in a score as Montoursville’s William DeWald recovered a fumble and returned it 85 yards to the house. After the third quarter was over, the South All-Stars held a 56-20 lead.
The game’s final score came with 4:59 remaining as Tilford rumbled from 11 yards out to bring the final to 63-20 for the South squad, ending a three-year losing streak.
Leiby finished 9-for-12 with 241 yards and 5 touchdowns, Tilford carried the ball 13 times for 115 yards, and Cope led the receiving corps with 122 yards on 4 grabs.
Shemory was 20-for-48 for 269 yards with an interception and touchdown for the North and Wesneski caught 13 balls for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Photo provided by Coy Gobble, Towanda Daily Review.
