Wright's game-winning kick helps East All-Stars defeat West

ADAM DAVIS/Acorn Newspapers RUN!-Oak Park's Doug Deakin is tackled during the Ventura County East-West All-Star Game. One week after playing for a CIF baseball championship, Agoura's J.T. Wright was back on the football field for last Saturday's 33rd Annual Ventura County East-West All-Star Game.

Showing no signs of gridiron rust, Wright earned Most Valuable Player honors in helping lead the East to a 27-24 victory over the West in front of a large crowd at Ventura's Larabee Stadium.

Not only did the Charger wide receiver catch three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, including a 70-yard bomb in the third quarter from Agoura quarterback Dominick Huerta, but Wright was vital on special teams as well.

He handled punting and placekicking duties for the East, averaging 37 yards per punt and going 2-of-3 on field goal attempts.

Wright saved his best for last, when on the game's final play with the score tied at 24, he nailed a 20-yard field goal to win it for the East.

"There's always pressure on a kick, but it was the same as any other situation," Wright said. "I just had a lot of fun today. Everything was exciting, especially all the big hits."

East head coach Gene Uebelhardt improved his record to 4-0 in All-Star games with the win. The coach from Royal said Wright's all-around performance proved once again why he's one of the county's premier athletes.

"That's why he's J.T. Wright," Uebelhardt said. "He's an unbelievable talent. And I'll tell you what, the best thing about him is he's probably the nicest kid I've ever met."

Simi Valley tight end Collin Franklin was named the East's Offensive Player of the Game. The Pioneer basketball and football standout hauled in five receptions for 90 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.

After the West had scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to tie the game, Franklin caught consecutive passes-a 45yard gain and a 27-yard reception-from Newbury Park signalcaller Jordan LaSecla in the final seconds to help setup Wright's game-winning kick.

"I told LaSecla that I was open on a couple of plays because they weren't really taking me seriously," Franklin said. "He got me the ball and we made it happen."

LaSecla finished the game 9of-13 passing for 140 yards, with two INTs and one TD.

Huerta completed 7-of-10 passes for 86 yards and a score. Simi Valley's Bryan Randolph was 4-of-8 for 35 yards and had one INT and one TD.

In addition to Franklin and Wright, Oak Park's Doug Deakin logged three catches for 25 yards. Cody Uebelhardt of Royal and Newbury Park's Josh Baker each had a pair of receptions.

While the scoreboard may have indicated a tight ballgame, things were anything but close through the first three quarters, thanks in part to an East defense that suffocated the West for the first 36 minutes of play.

Leading the defensive charge for the East were Grace Brethren standout Rick Elmore and Moorpark's Daniel Estandia, each of whom posted 1.5 sacks on the afternoon.

On his way to being named the East's Defensive Player of the Game, Elmore also had five tackles.

"We played great defense," said the Arizona-bound Elmore. "We kind of let up at the end, but we pulled together as a team and got the win."

Moorpark cornerback Robby Simmons contributed five tackles. Royal's Jon Sanders had four tackles and a forced fumble. Newbury Park defensive back Shane McGlashen recorded the East's only interception.

The West posted only 42 yards of offense in the first half and finished the game with just 197 total yards. They didn't put their first points on the board until a safety by Fillmore's Levi Holladay made the score 24-2 with 10:02 remaining in the game.

Following the safety, the East turned the ball over twice and Ventura quarterback Lee Mondol converted those mistakes into three scoring opportunities for the West.

After a Mondol touchdown toss made it a 24-22 game, Ventura running back Brandon Smith plowed in from a yard out to tie the score at 24 with 38 seconds remaining.

That's when LaSecla, Franklin and Wright went to work for the winning score.

Being able to practice with the best seniors in the Conejo Valley for three weeks while preparing for the game was a big thrill, Oak Park cornerback Gabriel Derricks said.

"It wasn't just the Marmonte League guys, it was being able to play with our rivals like Oaks Christian and Grace Brethren that was really fun for me," Derricks said. "It was great that we could come together as a team, put points on the board and beat the West."

In other news, Thousand Oaks' coaches were honored as the freshman staff of the year. Oak Park won the award for small schools in the junior varsity division.

Agoura was named J.V. staff of the year for big schools. Moorpark's coaches took home top honors in the varsity ranks.

The West teams had separate awards.

The game will be replayed on Adelphia Cable channel 12 on Sat., June 17, Sun., June 18 and Sat., June 24 at 7 p.m.