Viking Fab Four Make an Impact in Montco All-Star Game

Any of the 3,200 people in attendance at the 2011 Montgomery County All-Star Classic who wanted to see a knock-down, drag-out battle to the end were probably disappointed with Monday night’s 38-14 outcome.

In what will probably never be confused with a classic clash, the South rose again to claim the hardware and bragging rights in the 44th annual gridiron meeting. It was, for many, the last time they would step onto a football field to compete.

What fans did witness was an outstanding display of the area's best senior talent in a unique environment that has arch rivals playing together for one purpose and one cause.

“It was cool playing with guys that are usually trying to kill you,” said Upper Dublin defensive end Ryan Hopkins. “It has been fun practicing the last few weeks with these guys. We all respect each other, and this game is about pride and bragging rights. It’s just a fun game to play in.”

The Souderton-Telford Rotary Club, which has hosted the event since for the past 21 years, will be donating a large check to The Children’s Tumor Foundation, the primary charity of the event.

“We love seeing the kids get together,” said Jim Church, who has been with the Rotary Club since 1970. “I love high school football, and the Maxwell Football Club came on board last year, and they have really helped us get the word out. We had pro football player Dan Klecko here tonight. We can’t get those people here [on our own]. We are very thankful to have them involved. Just the name Maxwell Football Club gets people interested. It’s a great event and very good cause.”

The North had difficulty getting out of its own way offensively, despite a touchdown run by Pottsgrove’s Maika Polamalu. Polamalu racked up 42 yards on 11 carries and later converted a two-point conversion in the first quarter to post the only score for the boys in yellow before the half.

“It was fun to play again with Kayvon (Greene), Danny (Faust) Zach (Robinson) and Wyso (Tyler Wysochanski) one more time,” said Polamalu, who will be playing ball for the U.S. Naval Academy in the fall. “The defense is pretty easy to get together in a couple weeks of practice. On offense, we spent the first couple of days just getting to know each other. It’s a fun game to play in. I’m not happy with losing, but it was great to play with a lot of the Pac10 guys we have battled with for the last four years.”

Perkiomen Valley's Kyle Williams and Chris Stewart made their presence known as Williams batted down two passes, while Stewart recorded a sack and five tackles, including two for negative yardage.

Zach Robinson, who finished his wrestling career this season at Pottsgrove with 126 wins, a school record, handled the punting and place kicking for the North, while Wysochanski recorded a sack and batted down two passes.

The effort put forth by the Hill School’s Kenny King, who rambled for 33 yards on a pitch out to claim the biggest gain of the tilt, and Mohamed Ali-Barry, who batted a ball down and was in on several tackles, was not enough to overcome the arial assault launched by Germantown Academy quarterback Keith Braccia, who complied 193 yards and posted four scores.

“It’s definitely a challenge putting a team together in two weeks, said future Del Val Aggies lineman Lou Fiorivanti, who recorded three tackles. “But we have really bonded with the other Pac10 guys and came together.

"It would have been better if we had won the game,” Fiorivanti added.

With enough yellow flapping in the breeze to make the teams feel like they were at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, the South was whistled for 17 penalties for more than 140 yards, but the North could not take advantage and translate the fouls into points.

Pope John Paul II wide out Conor Meyers was the sole representative for the Golden Panthers.

Needhammer (7 for 35 yards, one touchdown) was named the North MVP, while Cheltenham cornerback Chris Stephens claimed the MVP honors for the South with an interception and four tackles.

“This is a fun game to play in,” said Vikings linebacker Brendan Murray. "The practices we had and time on the field again has been great. It’s just good to play football with my teammates.”