Lindley's passing lifts South past North

07-13-2007

By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions

The Chargers’ Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd, a pair of big-play wide receivers, served as honorary captains for the 17th annual Alex Spanos All-Star High School Football Classic Friday night at Mesa College.

So it was only fitting that a couple of big-play hookups between El Capitan quarterback Ryan Lindley and West Hills wide receiver Trevor Kolocheski proved to be the difference in a defense-dominated game.

The San Diego State-bound Lindley and Kolocheski combined to set up two second-half touchdowns as the South defeated the North 14-0 before 5,000 fans in a game between San Diego’s graduated seniors.

“He’s a great quarterback,” said Kolocheski, who was named the South MVP and plans to continue his career at Mesa College. “He was always in the pocket and the ball was always on the mark. He never rushed anything.”

After a scoreless first half, Lindley connected with Kolocheski on a 65-yard pass that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Colorado State-bound running back Lester Arnold (Point Loma) for a 7-0 lead with 4:49 left in the third quarter.

“We set that one up because they were biting on our screens,” Lindley said. “Trevor was wide open. I just gave him the ball and he made some moves.”

In the fourth period, Lindley’s 21-yard pass to Kolocheski set up a 2-yard scoring run by Kolocheski for a 14-0 lead with just 2:55 remaining in the game.

The North gained only 50 total yards against the South defense, which featured an interception from Oregon-bound safety Todd Doxey (Hoover). The North’s only scoring opportunity was a 45-yard field try by San Pasqual’s Kyle Abini that had the height and distance but was wide.

Lindley, who was 13-of-18 for 161 yards with no interceptions, alternated series with Point Loma quarterback Lucas Shaw as is the custom in all-star games.

His first completion was a 12-yard out to Kolocheski that was completed in front Floyd, wearing a Chargers’ throwback jersey, as he stood on the South sidelines.

“That was a really good throw,” Floyd said. “That’s a hard pass to make. He‘s got some potential.”

Lindley completed three more passes on the first-quarter drive before the North, led by Rancho Buena Vista linebacker Mike Reid, the North MVP, mounted a goal- line stand on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

But the South wasn’t thwarted in the second half when it had opportunities with big gains from the passing game.

“The whole team came together in the second half,” Lindley said. “We put some points on the board and the defense was great all game long. Chalk this one up for the defense.”

Lindley said he was happy he played in the game, which is now the longest running high school all-star game in California.

The trend is for scholarship-bound players to skip all-star games for precautionary reasons, but former San Diego State quarterback Lon Sheriff, Lindley’s offensive coordinator at El Cap, encouraged him to play.

“We’ve got the bragging rights now,” Lindley said. “Thirty years from now we’ll see these guys, and we won the game.”

Floyd, entering his fourth season with the Chargers, said serving as honorary captain reminded him of his Sacramento-area all-star game before starting his college career at Wyoming. He caught one touchdown pass and had two others called back for penalties.

“They were using me a lot for jump balls,” Floyd said. “It was a fun experience.”

Jackson, entering his third season with the Chargers out of Northern Colorado, said he would have enjoyed playing in a high school all-star game, but there wasn’t an area game for his hometown of Colorado Springs, and he wasn’t selected for the state-wide game.

“This is a good game for them,” Jackson said. “They get more exposure and good competition. Any opportunity you get to display your talent is good for you. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that I was in these guys’ shoes. I’m having fun hanging out with them.”

San Diego State coach Chuck Long would have enjoyed what he saw from Lindley, except for holding his breath on the last series when Lindley was spotted playing wide receiver.

“I wanted to get a touchdown on a fade,” Lindley said with a laugh. “But it didn’t work out. I got in a little blocking, but everything is fine and I’m intact. I’m ready to go at State.”

Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.