ACS HS All-Star Game recap & White team players of the game

The second annual American Cancer Society of Missouri High School Football All-Star Game was held on Saturday, December 11, at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. The game featured several dozen of the top Class of 2022 players in the St. Louis area playing one more game as high schoolers before moving on to the next level – or even competing in their final football game – and coached by Pat Mahoney (former De Smet coach) and Tom Beauchamp (current Parkway South coach). It wasn’t all about football, however. The American Cancer Society raised more than $80,000 in donations with the players involved working to raise money in the days and weeks leading up to the contest. With the players divided up into White and Red teams, it was Beauchamp’s White squad that scored 20 points in the first half and then held on in the second half for a 23-20 victory over Mahoney’s Red squad. Here is a quick look at some of the players that stood out for the White team on Saturday afternoon at Lindenwood: <strong>White Squad</strong> <strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="250563" first="Tim" last="Franklin"] Fort Zumwalt East </strong><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11465633/6195238aab9c5b0ac464f76f">HUDL</a> Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Timothy_636">@Timothy_636</a> Franklin, a 6-foot, 215-pound running back and linebacker, took home the game’s Most Valuable Player honors after scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter. He scored on a 3-yard run, which included a nifty bounce to the outside, midway through the quarter to give the White team its first lead at 10-7 with 6 minutes 9 seconds remaining in the first half. Then, on the ensuing series, Franklin recovered a fumble and returned it 38 yards for a score to extend the White team’s lead to 17-7. Franklin added a sack late in the fourth quarter and had a 6-yard run on his team’s final possession where he was able to pick up a first down and stay inbounds near the sideline to help clinch the victory. Zumwalt East struggled this season, finishing 3-8, but Franklin was one of the bright spots. He led the Lions in tackles with 89 and added two sacks and two fumble recoveries. While the offense was paced by running quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="226160" first="Brennan" last="Wilson"] and his 1,418 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, Franklin was second on the team with 566 yards rushing and eight total touchdowns. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry. <strong>K-P Mason Gessert Troy Buchanan </strong><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14440551/615361bdbd6a5014740e1b9b">HUDL</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/GessertMason">@GessertMason</a> Gessert had an outstanding senior season, earning first-team all-conference honors as a punter and second-team honors as a kicker, for a Troy Buchanan team that went 10-3 and advanced to the Class 6 semifinals. He averaged 34.55 yards per punt and kicked four field goals and 72 point-after kicks. On Saturday, Gessert helped the White team to victory with three field goals, including two in the first half as his team built its 20-7 advantage. He also missed a 45-yard field goal wide right in the second quarter, but it was an impressive kick considering he was aiming into a strong wind and had plenty of distance. <strong>S [player_tooltip player_id="178534" first="Malik" last="Hampton"] Lafayette</strong> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11326119/61a50cde7bddcd0f6439398a">HUDL</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/MalikHampton20">@MalikHampton20 </a> Hampton, a 5-11, 165-pounder, made an impact on Lafayette’s defense for three years and made a difference for his team in Saturday’s win. Hampton had several big tackles in the second half and came up with a clutch interception in the fourth quarter with the Red squad trying to get in position to take the lead. In 11 games during his senior season, Hampton recorded 104 tackles and two interceptions. As a junior, in six games, he had 55 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one interception. As a sophomore he recorded 51 tackles and two interceptions. <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="250566" first="Jake" last="Waters"] Fox</strong> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8420530/618e7c2b1600b6033050b333">HUDL</a> The passing offenses for both teams were wildly inconsistent on Saturday, but there were a few wide receivers who were able to make plays here and there. One of them was Waters, who unofficially finished with three catches for 48 yards. He had a 16-yard reception in the fourth quarter to get his team in scoring position and, three plays later, had a 25-yard touchdown reception that was called back on a penalty. Waters, who is 6-0 and 205 pounds, caught eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns during his senior season. He also rushed for 402 yards and a touchdown on 77 carries. Defensively he recorded 23 tackles and a sack. &nbsp;