Trading paint on a cold January night!
By Tim Peterson
(West Covina) – Damien’s Josh Bryan hauled in two long touchdown passes to spark the East to a 24-21 win over the West Friday night in the SGV All-Star game at West Covina High School.
Bryan caught a 68-yard TD strike from Andrew Harrison of Montclair on the East’s first possession of the game for a 7-0 lead. In the third quarter Bryan got behind the West secondary for a 57 yard catch and carry this time from Austin Zavala from Chino Hills for a score to break a tie and give the East a 21-14 lead that it never relinquished.
Bonita’s Garrett Dean added a 22-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter which proved to be the difference. Raeshaewn Roland of Arcadia got the West within three points four minutes later when he made a leaping grab of an 11-yard Michael Bonds (St. Francis) pass in the end zone.
Kevin Thomas set up the East’s second score with a 31-yard run
The East could have put the game away on the next series but coughed up the ball at the West 10 yard line. The West behind El Rancho quarterback Adam Chandler moved the ball down to the East 45 before being stopped on fourth down when a Chandler pass fell incomplete with 1:15 left.
With no West timeouts the East took a couple of knees to end it.
Mid way through the first quarter the East was up two scores. They went up 14-0 when Jarel Sykes of San Dimas capped a short drive with a one-yard run with 6:14 left in the first. The score was set up by a 31-yard run by Northview’s Kevin Thomas. The West cut it to 14-7 with 16 seconds left in the quarter when La Salle running back Amon Milliner took a pass out of the backfield from Bonds and rumbled 49 yards for the score.
The West got even with 3:11 remaining in the second quarter when Chandler finished a 66-yard drive with a one-yard run. the drive was aided by two pass interference penalties. The teams went into the break tied at 14. Bryan’s big play early in the third quarter put the East up for good.
Bryan earned MVP honors for the East for his effort. Chandler took home the MVP award for the West while the East’s Hugo Esqueda of Upland won lineman of the game.
Sykes had 11 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown to lead the East while Thomas finished with six carries for 46 yards on the ground.
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