- The Merced County All-Star Classic featured the best football athletes from the central valley area.
- El Capitan’s Anthony Jones was named the Player of the Game for the winning South Team.
- Patterson’s Royale Tago was awarded the Player of the Game for the North Team.
The Merced County area’s top high school football players returned to the field Saturday night, June 13th, for the 3rd Annual Merced County All-Star Football Classic at Golden Valley High School, sponsored by the Merced Breakfast Lions Club. The all-star game combines players from local high schools into two teams, a north and south team based on the school’s location. Players are selected by their coaches to compete in an all-star matchup that allows the best of the best in the Merced area to come together to play in one more game before it’s time to turn the page to next season.
This year, the South Team consisted of players from the following schools: Merced High, Torres High, Summerville High, El Capitan High, Stone Ridge High, Le Grand High, Madera South High, Mariposa High, Dos Palos High, Sonora High, Chowchilla High, Golden Valley High, and Madera High. They faced off against the North Team who was represented by Atwater High, Gustine High, Pitman High, Livingston High, Los Banos High, Delhi High, Buhach Colony, Ceres High, Patterson High, Orestimba High, Hilmar High, Denair High, and Pacheco High.
The South got on the board first when Merced High quarterback Vicente Cortez connected with El Capitan’s Anthony Jones for a 60 yard touchdown reception during the South’s second possession of the first quarter. After the touchdown, the South’s defense made an early impact when Summerville’s Kyle Hamilton intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards to keep the momentum on the South side. By the end of the first quarter, the South held a 6-0 advantage.
The lead grew to 9-0 early in the second quarter after Merced’s Haziell Reyes converted a field goal off the interception by Hamilton. The North responded in the second quarter with a 37-yard field goal from Atwater’s Trevor Hill midway through the second quarter. The defense picked up for the North as they held the South to a punt while the offense immediately drove back down the field. With their second trip into the endzone on as many possessions, Los Banos’ Gavin Estrada found Denair’s Degan Butler on a screen pass that Butler took to the endzone. The extra point gave the North a 10-9 lead heading into halftime.
The North extended their lead to 13-9 early in the third quarter with another field goal from Trevor Hill. Despite being behind, the South remained confident. “The way we really prepared was let’s come together and let’s become a family quickly,” South head coach Xavier Ramirez said. “If you play for each other, that’s what matters most.” The South appeared to heed that message by answering with a lengthy drive, led by Cortez. After moving the ball deep into North territory, Cortez connected with Hayden Czirban for a touchdown pass on fourth down. The extra point gave the South a 16-13 advantage entering the final quarter.
Cortez credited the team’s chemistry for helping them stay focused throughout the week. “We were messing around the whole time, but at the end of the day, we just locked in and we were just doing good,” Cortez said.
The game’s biggest play came midway through the fourth quarter when El Capitan’s Gio Mendoza connected with Anthony Jones on a deep 56-yard touchdown pass, Jones’ second of the game, extending the South’s lead to 22-13. The North continued to battle and moved the ball into South territory late in the game, but the South’s defense came through, once again. An interception made by Mariposa’s Laten Butler halted the North’s comeback hopes and sealed the victory.
After the game, Coach Xavier Ramirez praised the team’s performance on both sides of the ball. “Our defense played tremendously,” Ramirez said. “Getting a pick early in the game and then, getting a pick late in the game. The defense was great.”
North Head Coach Frank Marques applauded his team’s effort despite the loss.”The kids played really well,” Marques said. “Only one team could win, unfortunately it wasn’t us, but it was a good day all around.” For many of the seniors, the all-star game marked the final football game of their careers. “For more than half these kids, this is it for them,” Marques said. “It’s kind of nice to spend that last game with them on the field.”
Many of these athletes will have one more opportunity to take the field together, next week, in the Lions All-Star Football Game on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at Tracy High School’s Wayne Schneider Stadium. That game will showcase many of the area’s top football players along with players from the Modesto/Stockton area as well.
- Photos by Grace Gallegos. ↩︎
