Sports
South wins 2008 showdown with North, Rowe named squad’s captain
By Griffin Pritchard
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Elmore County graduate Luke Rowe was voted permanent captain of the South Team following their 12-0 victory over the North Team in the 50th meeting between the two all-star football teams.
The South now holds a 28-20-2 edge in the North-South Classic, which began in 1948.
In the game’s 50th meeting, Rowe joined Stanhope Elmore graduates Brye French and Jake Naylor in filling the 37-man roster.
The squad was coached by Bobby Parrish (Williamson), but featured regional coaches Chad Anderson (Wetumpka), Kyle Glover (Marbury) and Mike McCombs (Benjamin Russell).
The annual North-South Classic served as a fitting end to the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s 12th annual All Star Sports Week and was played at Alabama A&M’s Louis Crews Stadium.
The South jumped ahead early thanks to a special teams play.
D’Eric Jackson (Oxford) fumbled French’s punt at the North 20-yard line. Patrick Reynolds (Northview) forced the fumble and recovered the loose ball at the 18-yard line.
He carried it into the end zone for the games first score.
Leading 6-0, after a missed extra point in the first period, the South closed the door on their opponents following a Darrell Reynolds punt return.
The Pike County Bulldog fielded the punt at the 22-yard line and raced down the sideline for the 78-yard touchdown return with 6:15 left in the game.
The extra point attempt was thwarted, but the 12-0 lead proved to be the game’s final tally.
The South was led offensively by MVP Reynolds’ three punt returns for 104 yards and 26 yards rushing.
Auburn High’s Richard Ross helped seal the South’s victory with 35 yards on six carries.
As a team, the South managed just 117 total yards of offense, 93 of the total yards were from rushing.
Defensively, the South’s defense held the North offense to 91 yards total – 61 yards passing and 31 yards rushing – and was led by Gary Johnston (Gulf Shores). The Dolphin linebacker posted 10 tackles in the victory.
Pablo Makepeace (Red Bay) named the North MVP. Makepeace averaged 40 yards on nine punts with two dropping inside the 20-yard line and one rolling dead at the 1-yard line.
Jonathan Sillers (Briarwood) posted 20 yards rushing on six carries.
Paul Winterbottom (Calera) was 9-of-16 passing for 59 yards. Adrian Marcus proved to be the northern signal-caller’s favorite target with three catches for 34-yards.
