South rolls North

The quality of football in the Heartland was well represented in Tuesday night's Florida Athletic Coaches Association North-South All-Star Football Classic at Firemen's Field.

Sebring defensive lineman Tevin Toney had two sacks and Frostproof defensive back Roby Nickell had an interception and forced a key fumble late in the game to help the South beat the North by a score of 27-23 in a physical contest featuring the best high school senior players in the Sunshine State.

"The game was exciting and the competition was everything I thought it was going to be," said Toney. "I got better playing against all of these great players and it's a good feeling to be able to help my team win.

"It's an honor to be selected to play in this game and it feels good to leave home with a victory."

The South All-Stars fumbled on their first play from scrimmage to give the North All-Stars great field possession at the South 37.

But the South defense rose up as Toney sacked North quarterback Clinton Trickett (North Florida Christian) and Nickell intercepted Trickett's pass at the 13 to snuff out the threat.

After an exchange of punts, the South All-Stars marched 58 yards in four plays with Tampa Catholic tailback Henry McCloud capping the drive with a 12-yard scoring run.

The extra point by Palmetto's Brandon Tarpley gave the South a 7-0 lead with 7:10 remaining in the first quarter.

After the swarming South defense forced a North punt, the South All-Stars took over at their 44.

A nice blend of running by McCloud and Adrian Golden of Tarpon Springs moved the ball inside the 20 before the drive stalled.

The strong-legged Tarpley came on to boot a 33-yard field goal to put the South up 10-0 with 2:30 left in the first period.

"Both teams fought hard," said Sarasota Booker and South head coach Fred Gilmore. "There were some great plays made on both sides and these are some outstanding athletes and young men."

The North All-Stars answered with a nice drive and got on the scoreboard with a 38-yard field goal by Tallahassee Florida High's Chase Vernadore to trim their deficit to 10-3 with 10:21 remaining in the second quarter.

On its ensuing possession, the South All-Stars marched down the field and Golden powered in from a yard out to give the South a commanding 17-3 lead.

The North All-Stars refused to quit and scored on fourth-and-goal on the last play of the half when Trickett found Brandon Graham of Tallahassee Leon on a 5-yard scoring pass.

The point after by Vernadore trimmed the North's deficit to 17-10 at the half.

Tarpley booted a field goal to give the South a 20-16 lead heading into the final period.

The North All-Stars took their first lead as Graham caught a 43-yard touchdown pass to make it 23-20 with 13:06 left in the game.

The South All-Stars, behind the strong running and accurate throwing of Bradenton Manatee quarterback Brion Carnes, marched down the field against the physical North defense.

The elusive Carnes capped the march with a quarterback sneak for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal, and Tarpley kicked the extra point to give the South a 27-23 lead with 3:19 remaining in the game.

The North All-Stars rallied a final time and reached the South 25 before Rickett's final pass in the end zone was knocked down as the South All-Stars held on for the hard-fought victory.

"It's been a great week and the kids and coaches had a tremendous time," said Coach Gilmore. "There were some amazing athletes in this game and to get to coach them and work with them is something I always enjoy.

"All of these players made friendships that will last a lifetime and at the end, our kids made the big plays."

The talented Toney, who wants to play college football, is looking at several schools and trying to weigh all of his options.

"I want to continue to grow and get better," said Toney. "I've talked to Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC) and I've talked to a couple of schools in Mississippi, but I'm going to take my time in making such an important decision."