Carson Anderson knew he wanted the ball.
Anderson and Team North were trailing Team South by one point with under a minute left on the clock in the 2026 Lions All-Star Football Game on Saturday, June 20.
The Foothill receiver, playing on his home field, has been in these positions before. When the clock winds down and the crowd gets silent in anticipation, the lights shining the brightest they have all night, the ball usually finds Anderson.
“I was begging my quarterback (Ashden) Wehbey and the coaches, I said, ‘Get me the ball. I’m going to score,’” Anderson said.
Wehbey broke the huddle and Team North set up its offense at around the 10-yard line. The slot receiver to Wehbey’s right motioned left, isolating Anderson on Wehbey’s dominant side.
Everyone knew what was coming.
With his defender playing a deep cushion, Anderson cut toward the middle of the field and without hesitation, Wehbey fired it. Anderson caught it, and while a few opposing players reached him, they couldn’t bring down the 6-foot-3, 210-pound receiver.
Touchdown.
“I wanted that slant on that 221, and they threw it to me,” Anderson said. “I was able to break a few tackles and get in, but I’m glad they trusted me with the ball on the last play.”
Team North didn’t convert the two-point attempt, but it didn’t matter. For the third time in the last four years, Team North claimed victory over Team South, winning this year’s matchup 26-21.
Redding-area stars shine in 2026 All-Star Game
Anderson was one of many Redding-area players who stood out amongst the 2026 Lions All-Stars. In addition to his game-winning touchdown, Anderson made big catch after big catch for Team North — including a toe-tapping sideline catch that simply shouldn’t have been caught.
Lassen’s Dathen Moore, a former NSCIF MVP, scored the first touchdown of the game and carried a bulk of the rushing load for the North.
U-Prep’s Ty Wurzer showed off his brute strength with a short-yardage rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
Yreka’s Noah Mannix, Red Bluff’s Bryce Owens and Anderson’s Michael Manley disrupted Team South’s run game all night long.
But it was Foothill’s Mason Calvert who stole the show.
The two-way star earned second team All-section honors following a strong senior season in 2025, and he showed why on Saturday night.
Calvert snagged three interceptions against Team South — one that would have gone back for a touchdown if not for a hold on the return — while also creating some offense for Wehbey out wide.
Team North head coach Ross Griffith of Foothill was nearly left speechless from Calvert’s performance.
“I want to say I’m surprised, but I’m not,” Griffith said. “He’s such a great kid, he’s a leader, a captain on the team. I’m so proud of him and just this whole team for coming together.”
For his efforts, Calvert was named the 2026 Lions All-Star Game MVP.
“I wanted to come in with all these guys; I knew what they were capable of and I know what I’m capable of and I’m just so proud of all of them,” Calvert said. “It felt amazing to be able to play on this field one last time and just be able to show the people what my team and I are capable of.”
More than the average game
Saturday’s game was different from any game fans can expect to see on Friday nights during the fall.
“Twenty-four different guys from multiple schools being able to come together for a tight game like that,” Griffith said. “That was one of the best Lions games I’ve been a part of.”
Leading up to the game, players from Team North stayed and practiced at Simpson College. For Griffith, watching all these players from rival schools come together for a common goal was the most special part of the event.
“You’re spending time with someone 24/7 and they’re playing ping pong, joking around, laughing,” Griffith said. “They could have very easily sat in their room, but they sat in the common area and got to know one another.”
Shasta’s Jordan Mercer, a primary offensive lineman, spent much of his time on the defensive line during the game. He even notched a sack and celebrated accordingly. But, when Mercer and his teammates look back on this game in a year or 10, they won’t think about the sack or even that they won the game.
For Mercer, it was the relationships he built that allowed Team North to have success that will always stay with him.
“I’ll definitely remember all of us singing in the locker room … all of us bonding and dancing to ‘Right Round’ in the middle of our dorm,” Mercer said. “We were serious on the field, but after the field we were kids again.”
Calvert will likely remember winning MVP and the three interceptions that got him there, but his performance won’t define the experience.
“We had a short week with all these guys, but I made a lot of great friendships and a lot of brothers for life,” Calvert said. “These are all great, great men. We work together perfectly, and I’d say it was one of the most fun times I’ve had in my life.”
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Mason Calvert stars in Team North Lions All-Star game victory
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
