MANHEIM, Pa. – Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, is famous for backyard barbecues and grilling parties.
If the Manheim Touchdown Club’s 8th annual Tri-County All-Star Game was a Memorial Day get-together, then the South would have been rude hosts. They ate the North for dinner.
The South threw for over 340 yards and forced six North turnovers for a convincing 34-10 victory from Elden Rettew Stadium in Manheim.
It was the fourth straight victory in the series for the South, knotting the all-time record at four victories apiece. The South also won in blowout fashion two years ago, drubbing their northern counterparts 40-6.
“They played our run well,” said South head coach Jason Shoff (Columbia). “So we took what they gave us.”
The South running game was, in short, stuffed for the most part, limited to just 29 yards on 23 carries.
North head coach Mike Miller chuckled when told that if the game was scored like golf, he would have won emphatically.
“Yeah, I guess so,” the Annville-Cleona coach said. “In all-star games, it’s tough because you have to play straight man-to-man. Sometimes our guys gave them too much of a cushion.”
The South took advantage, drawing first blood with 6:58 left in the opening quarter. After both teams traded punts, Steve Huber (Wilson-West Lawn, 6-of-13, 159 yards, 2 TD) led a 92-yard drive which was capped with a 52-yard scoring pass to Cody Booth (Penn Manor). Booth had two catches for 66 yards on the drive.
The North countered, and nearly struck paydirt, had it not been for a fumble by Jeremi Jones (Elizabethtown) on the one yard line. Joe Strangarity (Garden Spot) recovered the fumble for a touchback, and the threat was averted.
Things continued to go against the North on its ensuing possession. Jarvis Cummings had a wide-open Jordan Clentimack (Lebanon) on a seam rout over the middle, but an official got in the way. Clentimack collided with the referee, dropping the pass, negating a sure first down. That possession ended with an interception by the South’s Alex Fegley (Wilson-West Lawn).
The South extended its lead to 14-0 following Fegley’s pick. Cody Booth was again on the receiving end of a scoring pass, this one a 10-yarder from Weston Martin (Garden Spot). Martin went 4-of-5 for 90 yards on the drive. That lead ballooned to 20-0 when Dakotah Lightfoot (Columbia) scooted in from 10 yards out. Lightfoot’s run was set up by a 52-yard connection between Huber and Yahya McIntyre (Columbia).
Martin continued his hot passing in the second half, connecting with Fegley on an 11-yard fade for a touchdown and a 27-0 South lead, capping an 81-yard scoring drive. At that juncture, Martin was 10-of-14. For the game, he finished 10-of-15 for 184 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“This game was a lot of fun,” Martin said. “It’s a lot more fun when you win on Manheim’s field. We had a ton of awesome athletes on this team.”
The North finally broke the shutout with 9:54 left in the game. Kyle McNeil (Elizabethtown) hooked up with Dean May (Annville-Cleona) on a three-yard scoring pass, but it was too little, too late for the team clad in white this night.
Brendon Levengood (Cedar Crest) capped the game scoring with a booming 45-yard field goal.
Evening the series was pleasing to Shoff. “That’s a great comeback,” he said. “But I was surprised that it was this lopsided.”
NOTES: The South has won the last four meetings by a combined margin of 148-86. Cody Booth finished with four catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson’s Alex Fegley had two touchdown catches, and Columbia’s McIntyre caught two passes for 87 yards. Eric Resch (Warwick) finished as the leading rusher, tallying a game-high 32 yards on 11 carries. McNeil finished 7-of-14 for 66 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Jarvis Cummings (Hempfield) fared no better. He ran for 20 yards on eight keepers, which led the North, and went 5-of-16 for 56 yards and threw two picks. Alex Shenk (Manheim Central) had five carries for five yards. Terry Clark (Northern Lebanon), a 1,000-yard rusher during the 2008 season, had three carries for 14 yards.
The North finished with 181 yards of offense (59 rushing) and 11 first downs, compared to the South’s 372 yards and 13 first downs.
For game photos click our gallery.
