JUPITER – A safety and a second-half field goal made by American kicker Brandon Proenza (Dwyer) were the two primary highlights for the American team.
But other than that, it was all about the National team from start to finish.
Held on the night of Saturday, Dec. 14 at Jupiter High School, the Nationals imposed their will over the Americans on both sides of the ball in their 33-5 blowout win.
Simply put, where do we begin?
National kicker and Lou Groza Placekicker of the Year Morgan Suarez connected on his first of two field goals to put his team up 3-0 with 7:30 left in the first quarter. And at the 3:28 mark, Suarez hit his second one to make it a 6-0 lead.
American couldn’t get much of anything going in the first quarter, as the National defense dominated the line of scrimmage on almost every play in the opening quarter. It was a coaching masterpiece effort by Lou Groza Coach of the Year Al Shipman (Palm Beach Lakes) and his staff.
The second quarter was much of the same, except that it came with fireworks in terms of touchdowns being scored.
National wide receiver Jordan Cash (Atlantic) was touted as one of the nation’s best overall players in his middle school days, when he was a superstar for the East Boynton Beach Wildcats. After playing for three teams in the past four years (Oxbridge Academy, Chaminade-Madonna, and Atlantic), Cash showed us in more ways than one why he so highly regarded in his heyday.
The speedy wideout made several breathtaking catches and showed off his athletics moves on a few given plays, which wowed those who watched the all-star game. One of those was a 12-yard touchdown catch from National quarterback Connor Hone (Jupiter Christian) in the second quarter, which helped to give the Nationals a 13-0 lead.
“We had called all verticals close to the red zone,” Hone said. “I knew the type of playmaker Cash was, so I threw it his way and he made the play.”
Cash was ecstatic about the opportunity to speak with media members after the game. He spoke on his contributions to National’s 28-point win.
“I’m just glad I could do something big for my team and show them how I can impact a game,” Cash said. “It’s just a fun game. I love being competitive against people I know. It’s a honor to be selected for an all-star game. I haven’t been selected for one since I was in eighth grade.”
And to close out the first half’s scoring, National running back Allan Israel (West Boca Raton) overcame a couple of close stops near the end zone by punching in a 1-yard touchdown run. It was a nice effort from Israel, who had the best overall all-star game performance among running backs.
With an extra point by Suarez (two extra points in the first half; three overall), National went into halftime with a 20-0 lead.
For the game, the National defense did not allow a touchdown to American. The winning team forced several turnovers, including one interception each caught by athletes Verwayne Alexander (Boynton Beach) and Ketron Hadley (Royal Palm Beach).
Additionally, National defensive tackle Don Williams (Boynton Beach) recovered at least one fumble and laid several vicious hits on the opposition. Williams was arguably the best lineman overall for the night.
Going back to the touchdown scores, National tacked on two more in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jadiel Cruz (John I. Leonard) had a 3-yard touchdown run (8:14 left; 26-5 National lead) and threw a beautiful 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Desna Washington (Glades Central) with 1:17 left for the final score.
“I’ve been waiting for that catch all game,” Washington said. “Been waiting for that all night.”
Shipman provided his commentary on how the all-star game went.
“The kids came out and played hard,” Shipman said. “It was great to have that collection of talent all in one place at one time. It was a blast.”
SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Instead of awarding MVP trophies to any players, it was decided that there would be four random players who would win $250 scholarships for college.
The winners were as follows: Makai Sawtelle (Jensen Beach 2020 athlete), Lorenzo Powe (Glades Day 2020 running back/linebacker), and Ryan Blake (Seminole Ridge 2020 linebacker).
PHOTO CREDITS: Daniel McCullon
