South prevails in All-Star Classic

By CHRIS GIRANDOLA
Published December 8, 2005

	[Times photo: Ted McLaren]
	South players Steve Berthelot, left, and Rod Norton, both of St. Petersburg High, sandwich the North's Will Barrett (East Lake).

LARGO - The Pinellas All-Star Classic never lacks excitement or meaning for players and coaches.

Keswick Christian quarterback Blake Engelhardt combined with Gibbs wide receiver Kevin Williams for 73 yards on the first drive of the second half to help the South defeat the North 21-14 Wednesday. Engelhardt, who completed 3-of-7, was named offensive MVP while Williams garnered overall MVP honors.

"This is a great stage to showcase your abilities," said Williams, who has offers from USF, West Virginia and Auburn. "It feels great (to get MVP) because I was competing against the best of the best in the county."

Engelhardt threw a perfect spiral to Williams from 21 yards out to put the South up 21-6 early in the third quarter. For Engelhardt, it proved players from smaller schools could line up with those from the larger public schools.

"I want to play quarterback in college so it was good to be able to prove myself out here," said Engelhardt, who has yet to receive any serious offers. "Hopefully, this game will show that I have the ability to compete on the next level."

St. Petersburg's Durand Kent provided the most excitement of the game, which was played under a steady rain. In the second quarter, after Countryside running back Ray Coleman put the North up 6-0 on a 17-yard run, Kent took the Will Sever (Largo) kickoff 8 yards deep in the end zone and zig-zagged through defenders before being tackled by Sever at the 4. Boca Ciega running back Andre LeShore punched it in from 1 yard out a few plays later to make it 7-6.

In the next series, Kent recovered a bad snap on the South's punt attempt. He picked up the ball and rumbled 10 yards for a touchdown to give the South a 14-6 lead.

"This type of game should open some people's eyes that I can play the game and contribute to a team," said Kent, who has offers from smaller colleges.

East Lake quarterback Phil Caralla ran one in on a 7-yard sweep late in the fourth quarter for the final score.

For players like Clearwater offensive lineman Jarod Holt, who has signed with Duke, the game had a different purpose.

"Personally, I just love the game," said Holt, named the offensive line MVP. "This is a great way to end my high school career, with some great players from around the county."

For St. Petersburg coach Todd St. Louis, who led the South, the game was a bit of redemption after his Green Devils finished with a sub-.500 record.

And, for Mike June, the former Palm Harbor U. coach who was asked back to lead the North, just being on the field again and working with the players and other coaches was a blessing.

"This is golden," said June, who last year stepped away from the game because of his bout with leukemia. "I've been on the verge of tears almost the entire past week. It just is very special to be a part of something like this. (The kids) keep me feeling young."

[Last modified December 8, 2005, 00:51:07]