A benchmark of the summer break and the signal that we are getting close to the new school year is here. 

Also unofficially the high school football season begins with the annual Kiwanis Club High School All Star Game.  The Graduated Seniors from the North Bay League and South Bay League meet at Montgomery High School on Saturday Night.   The kickoff is at 8 pm.

This is an All-Star game in every sense.   The two teams have a combined forty players who are First Team All-Leaguers from the 2012 season.

The number includes at least five players who were First team All-League on both Offensive and Defense and includes several who won player of the year awards.

The number doesn’t include four more All-League members for the NCL II.  One is Juan Avalos of Tomales who is playing for the NBL.  The other three are Mitch Sheppard, Arman Yektaparast and Michael Carroll, who went to St. Vincent and will play for the SCL.

Rancho Cotate has the most players with fourteen.   Quarterback Michael Courchaine and running back Jalon Luque who were named Co-NBL player of the year after both having record setting season in leading the Cougars to the NBL championships.  They shared the Co-Player award with Scooby Wright of Cardinal Newman who is not in the game.  Also playing is Rancho Cotate’s Fono Misi who was named NBL Defensive Player of the Year.

Jalon Luque of Rancho Cotate will be carrying the ball for the NBL in Saturday's All-Star game at Montgomery
Jalon Luque of Rancho Cotate will be carrying the ball for the NBL in Saturday’s All-Star game at Montgomery

Analy and Sonoma Valley have the most players for the SCL with nine each.  Included is Analy’s Aaron Maher who had over 1,000 yards in receiving yards and was name SCL player of the year.

The Sonoma County League won last year’s game 28-21 to take the series lead 11-10.

This is the 40th Annual Kiwanis All Star Game.  The events first game was in 1974 between the Sonoma and Marin All Stars.  That was the matchup until 1992 when in turned into the NBL-SCL showcase that it is now.

Throughout the years this has been a close series.   The SCL won a series long three straight from 2006-2008 to take a 10-7 lead in the series.  The NBL equaled that streak to even things at 10-10 before the SCL retook the series lead with last year’s win.

Eleven of the twenty one games have been decided by eight points or less.

For the record, the All Stars from Sonoma was 11-7 against the All Stars from Marin, winning the last four games.

MARK WEST JUNIOR TEAMS WINS

Mark West won the late game Thursday night defeating Benicia 19-7 in the Junior Section One Championship game.

Mark West now advances to the Junior Division II tournament which is being played at Healdsburg.   This is a seven team double elimination tournament from Section winners all over Northern California.

The tournament begins with two games on Saturday.

Mark West’s first game is Sunday at 5 pm.

My email address is jacpasquini@comcast.net