Coaches, players enjoy all-star football game

Acorn Sports Writer


MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn  LOOSE BALL-California's James Lewis of Venice High School fumbles the ball as he's hit by Florida's Jonathan Warren during the fifth annual CaliFlorida bowl at Moorpark College on Friday. Florida came from behind to win, 24-22. Several local players and coaches were involved in the game.

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn LOOSE BALL-California’s James Lewis of Venice High School fumbles the ball as he’s hit by Florida’s Jonathan Warren during the fifth annual CaliFlorida bowl at Moorpark College on Friday. Florida came from behind to win, 24-22. Several local players and coaches were involved in the game.

Though their team was defeated, 24-22, after Florida made a furious second-half comeback, the California football all-star coaches and players were pleased to have been part of the fifth annual CaliFlorida Bowl, an all-star game featuring players from California and Florida.


The game was played at Moorpark College, the game’s new home.


Bill Redell, the Oaks Christian head coach, was the California team’s head coach and 13 California head coaches were assistants, including Jim Benkert (Westlake), Tim Lins (Moorpark), Dick Billingsley (Oak Park), Mike Sanders (Thousand Oaks) and George Hurley (Newbury Park).


Sanders coached the game for the second year. Thousands Oaks quarterback Chris Owens was selected for the game but didn’t play because of an injury.


"It’s outstanding," Sanders said of the weeklong experience. "It’s great on several levels. Obviously it’s a great time to coach great kids, a whole bunch of the most special kids around Southern California. And then, the camaraderie with the 14 head coaches is great. Win or lose, it’s a good thing."


Billingsley echoed that sentiment.


"It was a great opportunity and I want to thank Coach Redell for inviting me," said Billingsley. "It was real special because we had some real special coaches. But the kids were just awesome. Their attitudes and work ethic were great. I really enjoyed it."


The California team was intercepted five times, four in the second half. Two of the second-half interceptions were returned for touchdowns, turning what was a 16-3 halftime lead for California into a 24-16 lead for Florida.


"Maybe if I could have gotten in the game in the second half, things would have changed," said Rudy Carpenter of Westlake, who threw a touchdown pass in the first half but didn’t play in the second half due to a back injury. Carpenter is now playing basketball at Westlake.


Greg Newman, Ryan Sorensen, Jimmy Miller and Michael Stuart, also from Westlake, played in the all-star game as well.


"It was really cool getting to know some of my future teammates," said Miller, who will attend USC next year with Stuart.


Miller and Stuart also play basketball for Tom Donahue at Westlake.


Mark Cordell represented Oaks Christian, Clay Mathews was from Agoura, and Loren Rosenberg was from Oak Park.


"It was nice to come out and be recognized as one the best," said Cordell. "It was a real honor. (Florida) had a lot of team speed and their defense was good."


Hurley said he’ll remember to look for the players on Saturdays (playing college football) beginning next year.


"Absolutely, I’ll keep track of these guys," Hurley said. "We’ll see them on Saturdays. We may even see a couple of them on Sundays (in the NFL) down the road."


Moorpark’s Lins said, "It was a great opportunity to coach all the players of this caliber and the coaches, as well. It was a good week, a fun week and an exciting week."


Ray Gerena, an assistant coach under Benkert at Westlake during the regular season, was an assistant to Redell in the all-star game.


"These kids, they’re all stars for a reason," Gerena said, "not just because they’re great athletes, but because they’re good kids that make the right choices and do the right things. They’re good-character individuals."


Gerena handled the offensive linemen in the all-star game.


"I had to coach 18 offensive linemen and they learned an entire offense in a week," he said. "That’s a real credit to the guys."


Redell said despite the loss, it was a nice experience.


"I enjoyed working with these kids and I particularly enjoyed the coaches," said Redell. "All these guys are great head coaches. Working with these guys is a lot of fun."


Kevin Moore (Inglewood), Kiki Mendoza (St. John Bosco), Peter Duffy (Fremont), Shane Cox (Fairfax), Matt Logan (Corona Centennial) Ben McEnroe (Chaminade), Eddie Martinez (L.A. Wilson) and Sean Diaz (Bellflower) were the other head coaches on Redell’s California staff.




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