GREENACRES – They came, they saw, they conquered.
Led by Palm Beach Central 2018 quarterback Nick Atkins, the American team overcame a slow start to outlast the National Team in a 12-0 triumph at this year’s LRSIF (Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey and Fronrath Law Firm) All-Star Game.
The American Offensive MVP put the team on his back for parts of the second half, as he broke through with a 5-yard touchdown run with 9:57 left in the fourth quarter. It gave his team a 6-0 lead that would hold up until the very end.
“Defensively, they (the National defense) played a lot of man coverage and my receivers did get open when they could,” Atkins said after the game. “The line did a good job of blocking. We didn’t get a lot of opportunities, but when we did, we scored. That’s what’s important.”
Atkins spoke of his overall experience throughout the week of all-star practice and the game itself.
“Overall, everything comes quick,” he said. “You only have 3-4 days to put everything in. But we did a good job of putting it all together and getting the win here.
In what was the final high school football game for Atkins – and everyone else who played today – he had a message for all college coaches who want to recruit him.
“You’re going to get a good leader and a kid who loves to play the game,” the Palm Beach Central senior said. “You’ll have an athletic quarterback that has been slept on. You have guys like Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel, who did a good job (Heisman Trophy winners) but were slept on coming into college as well.”
The game’s final score came on a running play by Olympic Heights 2018 running back Reis Clark, who ran it in for a touchdown as time expired. He and American teammate/Olympic Heights 2018 wide receiver Michael Ippolito celebrated the win by acting out a dice game at the end zone.
“Ball game, ball game, ball game,” they emphatically said to each other in unison.
In all honesty, this was more of a defensive battle than anything else by both teams.
Several players caught interceptions, including American Defensive MVP and Dwyer 2018 cornerback Carl Willis (two picks; 48 second left in the second quarter and 2:20 left in the third quarter).
“It feels good to have accomplished something that some others don’t,” Willis said. “The receivers didn’t like contact and don’t have much speed, and I took advantage of it.”
American’s secondary had four interceptions in total, with the other two coming from American Heritage (Delray Beach) 2018 defensive back Jamari Laster and John I. Leonard 2018 defensive end Vitaldo David.
Meanwhile, the National team’s defense had some standouts that opened a lot of eyes at the all-star game as well.
Cardinal Newman 2018 defensive end Regino Alexis had three sacks for National, including the game’s first one in the opening minutes.
Also, Royal Palm Beach 2018 athlete Curtis Bunche Jr. caught an interception for National to end the first quarter.
On special teams, American defensive end and Seminole Ridge 2018 athlete Zach Cohen blocked a National field goal attempt in the first half of play.
Both teams went into halftime with a scoreless tie. No one scored until Atkins broke through early in the final frame.
“It was definitely [a] hard fought [game],” National Offensive MVP and Cardinal Newman 2018 athlete Jayson Moschella said. “Every inch was fought for, and every score was fought for. This was one of the best experiences of my high school football career.”
Here’s a list of the all-star game’s four MVP’s:
AMERICAN
Offensive MVP: QB Nick Atkins (Palm Beach Central)
Defensive MVP: CB Carl Willis (Dwyer)
NATIONAL
Offensive MVP: ATH Jayson Moschella (Cardinal Newman)
Defensive MVP: DL Chandler Loiseau (Wellington)
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
