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NEWPORT BEACH — San Juan Hills quarterback Timmy Herr found plenty of inspiration for the Orange County North vs. South All-Star Football Classic on Saturday.
The senior dedicated his last high school game to San Juan Hills coach Robert Frith, who watched the game at Newport Harbor High about one month after surviving a sudden cardiac arrest incident.
Herr played for fellow South quarterback Brady Annett of Corona del Mar, who missed the all-star game because of a medical issue, South coach Mark Nolan of Trabuco Hills said.
And Herr played for his tight-knit South squad, which entered riding a decade-long winning streak.
Herr responded by throwing two touchdowns in the second half as the South rallied to defeat the North 17-7 for its 11th consecutive victory in the series.
“That was a fun one to end on,” said Herr, who selected the South’s MVP. “I heard the news about Brady and it kind of hurt my heart. I didn’t really know him that well but just with the practices we had, I already felt like he was kind of a brother to me. I was also playing for him.”
“Coach Frith is an amazing coach and amazing person,” the quarterback added. “It was good to win it for him.”
Herr, who is uncommitted to college, throw a 13-yard touchdown to his San Juan Hills teammate Dean Kolasinki to give the South a 9-7 lead with 3:56 left in the third quarter.
Laguna Hills kicker Nathaniel Mammen added the extra point to make it 10-7.
Herr showcased his dual-threat skills on the scoring drive with a 14-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the North 24.
Herr’s touchdown pass capped a 48-yard drive after the North sailed a snap on a punt.
On the ensuing North possession, South lineman Corey Lewis of Aliso Niguel blocked a 44-yard field goal that would have tied the score.
In the fourth quarter, the South capitalized on a fumble by the North on a third-down attempt coming out of a timeout.
The South recovered at the North 27, and three plays later, Herr connected on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Braiden Vaca of Tesoro for a 17-7 lead with 5:41 left.
The South’s defense shutout the North in the second half.
Santa Margarita linebacker Vai Manutai, nicknamed “Ironman” by the South, helped led the way two of the biggest hits of the game. San Juan Hills defensive lineman Roman Paseka added a key tackle on fourth down.
“Lots of South pride,” Nolan said. “(The) defense is unreal. We struggled as an offense going against that defense (in practice).”
“We’ve only had six practices together and we’ve really bonded,” JSerra linebacker Rocco Tompkins added of the defense. “We all did really well together.”
North cornerback Thomas Knutson of Yorba Linda had an interception and was selected North MVP.
Westminster’s Noah Pedraza had two sacks for the North and Brandon Urzua of Los Alamitos added one.
“Defense was great,” North coach Michael Echaves of Troy said. “Super proud of these guys. It was cool to see guys from lesser known schools who really have games.”
The North led 7-0 at halftime. The squad drove 89 yards for a 1-yard touchdown run by Canyon quarterback Alex Lundsberg on fourth-and-goal late in second quarter.
Lundsberg, a late addition to the North roster, scored with 1:39 left in the half on a dive toward the end zone.
The North narrowly missed scoring a few plays earlier on a 6-yard pass by Lundsberg to Villa Park’s Vince LaGatta for a first down at the 1.
Lundsberg completed 7 of 9 passes for 65 yards on the drive.
Yorba Linda’s Vaughn Sharp helped power the drive with nine carries for 24 yards.
The North took possession at its 11 after stopping the South on a fourth-and-2.
In the O.C. girls flag football game, Esperanza quarterback Ellie Frazier threw a touchdown and rushed for another in a 14-13 victory against the South. Sophia Takaki of Sunny Hills had two interceptions to lead the North defense.