Published: July 18, 2008 11:48 pm            

Defense lifts South to win

Players say miscues due to unfamiliarity with new offensive system

HUNTSVILLE — The 50th installment of the AHSAA North-South All-Star football game probably won’t be remembered as one of its finest.

In a game noted more for miscues than star turns — the teams combined for 17 punts and six turnovers — it seemed only appropriate that a punter and a special teams player earned the top individual honors.

In the end, the South made the fewest mistakes and came away with a 12-0 win, its third consecutive victory in the series and eighth in the last 12 years.

Both of the South’s touchdowns came on special teams miscues by the North. After its first drive stalled, the South punted but saw Patrick Reynolds recover a North fumble in the end zone for a 6-0 lead.

The extra point snap was fumbled.

Three quarters later, South’s Darrell Reynolds shook off multiple tackles to take Pablo Makepeace’s punt back 78 yards for a touchdown.

In between, the teams combined for just 209 yards on 109 plays, paving the road for the unorthodox MVP selections.

Darrell Reynolds got the nod for the South, finishing with 130 all-purpose yards on the night. His 104 yards on punt returns were a game high.

His counterpart from the North was Makepeace, who averaged 40.1 yards per punt and placed two kicks inside the South’s 20 yard line.

Despite the lack of offense, Cullman’s three representatives in the game said the result was more a case of a lack of familiarity amongst the team. Trying to run a spread offense after five days of preparation, North players gained just 92 yards all night.

“The first touchdown kind of threw us off,” said running back Mike Timmons, who rushed for 15 yards on just nine carries. “We didn’t know what to do after that. We just couldn’t capitalize.”

Offensive lineman Kyle Kirkwood agreed.

“It was tough getting the offense going in five days,” he said. “It was just the timing.”

Gavin Ellis, who caught just one ball for five yards, said the relationship between quarterbacks and receivers was off from the start.

“We thought sure coming out we’d do well. It was real different from the regular season,” he said. “The relationship between the quarterbacks and the receivers was the main thing.”

The South missed field goal opportunities in the second and fourth quarters. The North’s best drive came between the third and fourth quarters when it advanced to the South’s 26 before turning the ball over on downs.

        

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