Orange County All Star Game: Top Offensive Performances

On Saturday, some of the top senior football players in Orange County gathered at Newport Harbor High School to play in the 62nd annual Orange County North-South All Star Classic. The South won the game 30-17 to win its seventh consecutive matchup between the two teams. Everyone got to play in the game and it was clear why these players were selected to represent their schools. But some players stood out. Here is a breakdown of the top performers from each team in the game: <strong>NORTH</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187298" first="Tobey" last="Schmidt"], Tustin</strong> Schmidt had limited practice time because he is an All-League player on Tustin’s basketball team, but he appeared to still have lots of chemistry with the team’s receivers. I always knew he had an arm and was accurate to all three levels, but his athleticism was on full display Saturday. He scrambled to avoid the pass rush very well and made big plays down the field. He is headed to Wagner and has a chance to get some playing time there early. https://twitter.com/Tiller_Football/status/1490396425531768832?s=20&amp;t=YBj_iqH0lZpiLbVesRTsIw <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187302" first="Jackson" last="Christie"], Villa Park</strong> Christie led the North in rushing yards with 64 on 10 carries. He was able to get to the edge quickly and make some big plays for first downs. I asked a player from the North pregame who impressed him that he didn’t know before and he mentioned Christie. I’ve always thought he was a good route runner out of the backfield and I like that a coach can find multiple ways to get him the ball. https://twitter.com/SBLiveCA/status/1441900256724017152?s=20&amp;t=YBj_iqH0lZpiLbVesRTsIw <strong>Lucas Ambuehl, Esperanza</strong> Ambuehl was the best pass blocker on the North offensive line in my opinion on Saturday. He was throwing around edge rushers and is so physical in the running game. He and Carter Bessire of La Habra really held it down on the left side of the offensive line and were instrumental in the North’s offensive attack. Ambuehl is headed to Northern Arizona on a PWO. https://twitter.com/AmbuehlLucas/status/1491307192359997444?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ <strong>Mikey Welsh, Servite</strong> Welsh had an incredible catch in the fourth quarter that set up a touchdown run by his teammate [player_tooltip player_id="187307" first="Houston" last="Thomas"]. He is one of those receivers who finds ways to get open regardless of the coverage and can make big plays on scrambles when the play breaks down. The aforementioned catch was a 30-yarder in traffic that drew a big reaction from the crowd and the opposing coaches on the South sideline. https://twitter.com/ServiteFootball/status/1490358756613378051?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ <hr /> <strong>SOUTH</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141899" first="Braden" last="Pegan"], San Juan Hills</strong> Pegan was a late addition to the South roster and was pivotal in the win. He had two touchdown catches, one of them he was very well-covered and he used his muscle to get the ball away from the defender and walk in for the score. He was a tough matchup for the North team to cover in man coverage and if he had practiced with the team more, he would have gotten more reps and had an even bigger game. Pegan is headed to UCLA. https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1490192783134572545?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ https://twitter.com/mikehuntley63/status/1490163125491884038?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187268" first="Bo" last="Kelly"], Dana Hills</strong> Kelly was named the MVP of the game for the South team and was making very good throws leading his receivers in stride throughout the game. He was able to extend plays with his legs and show off his athleticism as well. He threw two of the three touchdown passes for the South and was one of the clear leaders of the team. The other players seemed to gravitate toward Kelly and enjoyed having him in the game. https://twitter.com/bokellyy/status/1490735809313468417?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187241" first="Jalen" last="Jones"], Santa Margarita</strong> Jones was a standout player for the South because of his ability to make big plays after the catch. He had 88 yards on three catches with the vast majority of those yards coming after the catch. He caused matchup problems for the North defense and his strength is getting open on routes over the middle. He picked up an offer from Princeton this week. https://twitter.com/mikehuntley63/status/1423687904962912261?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187306" first="Rashad" last="Beckham"], Mission Viejo</strong> Beckham was one of the better offensive lineman for the South squad. He picked up interior blitzes well and got a pretty good push in the running game. He was a guy that coach Rob Frith mentioned when I asked about linemen who impressed him and he delivered. He isn’t the biggest guy in the world at 6-feet tall and around 270 pounds, but he drives his legs and has an excellent motor. <strong>Cole Clemmer</strong> of Corona del Mar also had a solid game on the offensive line for the South. https://twitter.com/ThomasHaney2022/status/1490398835138457601?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187301" first="Kenny" last="Manassero"], Mission Viejo</strong> Manassero came through with big plays on the ground exactly when the South needed them. It seemed for awhile that there was a lull in the game and the offense was stalling, and then Manassero would escape for a big play to kick some life into the offense. He had a big run that set up a field goal and a big touchdown run to ice the game for the South squad in the fourth. He has good vision and can turn on the jets when getting into the open field. Cal Lutheran offered him this week and I expect him to commit there soon. https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1434026224645509121?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1490241592967372808?s=20&amp;t=dzFW2UQ7KhMFesNRTO9wfQ <hr /> <em><strong>Other top performers:</strong></em> Justus Thongphrachanh, Brea Olinda Tomas Ramirez, Cypress [player_tooltip player_id="270898" first="John" last="Tipton"], Corona del Mar <img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-270095" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/01/125-John-Tipton-e1642375604234-300x241.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="241" /> Broghan Daley, Dana Hills Trent Leicht, Huntington Beach Cameron Goods, Irvine Ethan Rooney, San Clemente