Garner Leads West To 28--11 Win in Classic
WEST SPRINGFIELD, VA - It was the "Best of the Best" from 2006 AAA Northern Region football teams at West Springfield High School on Friday night, June 22, as the 3rd annual Northern Region East-West All Star Game saw last year's Senior standouts pad up for one last high school football game, before heading off to their respective colleges. As All Star games go, this one was no disappointment, as many Gameday standouts from 2006 showcased their talents in front of a raucous crowd in Springfield.
The East squad was made up of players from the Liberty and Patriot Districts, representing Annandale, Hayfield, Lake Braddock, West Potomac, Lee, Marshall, South County, South Lakes, T.C. Williams, West Springfield.
The West was comprised of teams from the National and Concorde Districts, and players from Oakton, Centreville, Edison, Fairfax, Falls Church, Herndon, Mount Vernon, Robinson, Stuart, Wakefield, and Washington & Lee made the trip.
In this game, the West squad, led by National District Player of the Year, Shawn Lloyd (Edison), and All Gameday players Ervin Garner and Jonathan Kedrock (Oakton) would prove to be the most prolific, coming away with the 28-11 victory, and the 2-1 series lead.
In the game, the scoring didn't come easily in the 1st half, as the defense for both sides would have their spotlight. After a scoreless 1st quarter, the East would draw 1st blood, on a Will Blakely (Marshall) 28 yard field goal. It would be all West from there, as Orlando Bryant (Oakton) would score on a 10 yard run up the middle, midway through the quarter. The play was set up by a Shawn Lloyd to Ervin Garner 52 yard pass play. Prior to halftime, Lloyd and Garner would hook up again, for a 61 yard touchdown strike, and after the 2 point conversion, the West took the 14-3 halftime lead into the locker room.
The 2nd half was more of the Lloyd\Garner show, as the 2 would hook up shortly into the start of the half, on a 45 yard crossing pattern. With the tandem connecting yet again for the 2-point conversion, stretching the West lead to 22-3. After recovering an East fumble late in the same quarter, Lloyd would hit Garner, yet again, this time on a 2 yard slant pass across the middle of the end zone. The 2 point conversion failed, but the West would now sit comfortably with the 28-3 lead.
The score would remain the same until the 7:16 mark of the 4th quarter, and the game, when the East squad would eventually penetrate the West defense, scoring their 1st touchdown of the game. After an impressive 45 yard drive, Lee RB Zayd Augustus would scamper into the end zone on a 4 yard off tackle play. They would tack on 2 more points on the conversion when VMI bound QB Chris Oterson (Lee), would find Lake Braddock's Jonathan Ramos in the back of the zone, and narrowing their deficit to 28-11. But that's where it would stay, as both defenses clamped down, and prevented each other from scoring, and putting an end to this year's exciting All Star Classic.
It's always a difficult task naming Player's Of The Game in an all star setting such as this, as many players are typically deserving of the honors. The Line-X Tough Guy Award went to East LB Frank Howell (Marshall), who made many notable defensive plays throughout the game, while Oakton's Ervin Garner came away with the Ted Britt Player Of The Game, for the West.
