North beats South in 65th Optimist All-Star Classic for Sacramento seniors with lasting theme
The most meaningful moment on Saturday afternoon in the official capper of the regional high school football season wasn’t a touchdown or a defensive stop.
It was the big-picture discussion after the 65th Optimist All-Star Football Classic that resonated the loudest with the deepest meaning. The North beat the South, 35-7, at Granite Bay in front of 6,585 fans on a clear, crisp day, and when it was over, both teams came together at midfield to take a knee, united as one.
Game director Max Miller, a household football name in Sacramento since the 1960s as a 264-game winner, mostly at Cordova, complimented the teams for their effort as he stressed the legacy of why this game is played and why it endures. Proceeds from this event have since the start benefited Camp Ross Relles for disadvantaged children, including those who would give anything to run and play. Ross Relles Jr. is the president of the Optimist board, and he was delighted at the crowd and the game.
South coach John Heffernan of Elk Grove High and North coach Joe Cattolico of Granite Bay are longtime coaching friends who were glad to take on this task of leading their teams, and both commended the players for a game well done. Heffernan told the group that they collectively “did a great thing today to give back to those who are less fortunate, and I’m proud to have been part of it.”
Cattolico followed with a reminder that this game for Sacramento seniors “was on life support” a few years ago because of sagging interest, but that Saturday was proof that it is alive and well. He said to be among the 90 regional seniors to be selected for this contest was reflective of each player’s “ability, effort and character” and that this game allowed players to be “part of something bigger and special” than just blocking and tackling. Cattolico encouraged all of the players to continue to do the right things on the field and in life, “to make an impact.”
Cattolico played high school football in the South Bay, and he competed in a game similar to the Optimist, the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game for charity. The 50th running of that event is Feb. 1 at Los Gatos High in Santa Clara County, where Cattolico’s father, Butch Cattolico, was a 266-game winner.
“That was the last game of football I played, and I still have friends from that game,” Cattolico said this week. “Things like this stick with you forever.”
To be sure, players will remember their high school last hurrah on Saturday.
Cole, Ward, Keeley, Kelly lead North
Quarterback Ricky Cole of Inderkum capped the opening drive for the North with a 1-yard touchdown run, a drive set up by 46 yards of running plays by Braeden Ward of Twelve Bridges, who benefited from big blocks from his prep teammate Caleb Amos. Ward led all rushers with 68 yards.
Cole passed for 133 yards and also had a 17-yard touchdown run for a 14-7 North lead. Ward pushed it to 21-7 with 10:29 left to play. Derek Keeley of Rocklin had a 1-yard score for a 28-7 lead, and Baylor Kelley of Placer capped it with a 32-yard scoring run with 1:52 left.
Each of those players who scored earned Bee All-Metro honors. Cole accounted for more than 100 career touchdowns at Inderkum; Ward earned Bee Small School Player of the Year honors after rushing for 2,749 yards and a state-leading 41 touchdowns for a 14-1 team that reached a CIF state final; Keeley led the Rocklin charge at running back and at linebacker for a Thunder team that played for a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II crown; and Kelley ran for touchdowns, caught touchdowns and played defense for a Placer team that reached the playoffs.
Dallas Munn, a Bee All-Metro pick from Destiny Christian Academy, accounted for the South’s score, a 57-yard touchdown strike to Stephon Johnson of Burbank. That tied it 7-7 with 1:48 left in the first half.
Cole, like many of the North and South players, isn’t sure where he will play in college this fall, but he aims to keep firing passes and rushing for first downs. He did not take this game or its cause for granted.
“Such a blessing,” he said. “To be selected was an honor. To play in the game was an honor.”
The North was also quarterbacked by Beau Ogles, a Bee All-Metro player who led Oakmont to an eight-win season and a playoff victory a year after the Vikings of Roseville went winless. He is also a baseball star, and he was beaming after the game in taking photos with North teammates and later with a large group of family.
North D led by Bevans, Currie
It was also a day for the North defense. Optimist teams have a week to practice and prepare, to merge players from all over into one cohesive outfit. The defenses in All-Star events such as this tend to have a leg up on the offenses, and the North was defensive-minded under defensive coordinator Jason Tenner, the West Park of Roseville head coach.
He sent the dogs after the South quarterbacks, including two-time Bee All-Metro defensive end/linebacker Briggs Bevans. He had two fourth-quarter sacks. Bevans plans to chase quarterbacks in college, but he will go on a two-year Mormon mission first.
“I love to help people, to serve,” Bevans said, adding that he was moved deeply to be able to play in this game and to play so well.
Said Tenner of his star stopper: “Great kid, great student. He plays with such effort.”
Clifton Currie was a sparkling example that a high school program can be unranked but still feature some star power. He is a 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker from Foothill who left his mark on Saturday and looks the part of college prospect.
Currie had two sacks, broke up a 45-yard pass deep in coverage and he had an interception. He played defensive end at Foothill but seamlessly made the switch to linebacker.
▪ Aiden Broadnax served as a reminder that a football program struggling to find its footing still has players. A late addition to the North roster, the 6-1, 185-pounder rushed for 56 yards on four carries in the second half. His San Juan Spartans did not win a game in 2024, but it was not for a lack of effort from guys such as Broadnax.
▪ For the South, 6-foot-5, 310-pound tackle Aderian Adelabu served as a reminder that late bloomers can flourish. He played football for the first time in 2024, at Franklin High in Elk Grove, and his on-field dominance matched his academic prowess as an honors student. His football and academic efforts and potential landed him an academic ride to Yale University of the prestigious Ivy League.