Football is back.
Not the World Cup. Not NFL minicamps. Not college offseason workouts.
High school football.
On June 20, Tracy High School’s Wayne Schneider Stadium will host the 50th annual Lions All-Star Football Game in partnership with Linden graduate and New York Yankees star Aaron Judge’s ALL RISE Foundation.
“As a matter of fact, I selected Aaron Judge his senior year when he was at Linden as a football player,” North coordinator and former Stagg coach Don Norton said. “We selected him as the top receiver, and you know that he turned down that opportunity to go play baseball? Maybe I’m the one who made him make up his mind to play baseball.”
Matching many of the top recently graduated high school football players from the Stockton area against those from the Modesto area, the game marks its fourth edition since returning from a three-year COVID-19 hiatus.
“It’s hard to know exactly what you’re going to get because the teams have only been practicing for a week,” Lions All-Star public relations volunteer and Cal-Hi Sports editor/publisher Mark Tennis said. “What I do know is it’ll be competitive. Stockton versus Modesto has always been a great rivalry, and with bragging rights on the line, the games tend to be close.”
This year, however, adds another chapter.
For the first time, girls flag football will join the festivities.
“When you look at how much the sport has grown nationally and across California, it became an easy choice,” Tennis said. “More schools are embracing it every year. Just look at the success we’ve had locally.”
Norton added, “Let me tell you, the girls flag football game may be as good as — if not better than — the boys game. You won’t want to miss it.”
The girls will take the field at 5 p.m., with Kimball coach David Rios leading the North squad and Atwater coaches Nathan Ramirez and Capri Abbasi coaching the South.
The boys game will follow at 7 p.m., with Escalon coach Andrew Beam leading the North and Hilmar coach Frank Marques guiding the South.
“I’ve been involved with this game since 1982,” Norton said. “Over the years, we’ve had some outstanding players come through. Some went on to have successful college careers, and a few eventually reached the NFL.”
But don’t mistake it for just another all-star game.
“It’s a step up from a typical high school game,” Tennis said. “You’ll see some really intriguing athletes. Every once in a while, a player has a breakout performance that opens doors, whether that’s earning a college opportunity or attracting interest from a higher-level program.”
Norton added, “We’re getting the 33 best players from both areas. At first, some of them aren’t sure what to expect. But as the week of preparation goes on, their competitive side takes over. By Saturday night, once they’re in pregame and the lights come on, it’s football. They’re ready to play, they’re going to give a great effort, and it’s going to be a great game. I can’t remember ever walking away and thinking it was a dud.”
With that in mind, here are the San Joaquin County players and schools that will be represented in this year’s game.
North 11-Man Team
South 11-Man Team
North Girls Flag Team
South Girls Flag Team
This article originally appeared on The Record: Lions All-Star Game celebrates 50 years, welcomes girls flag football
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
