All-stars require overtime

South wins with defense

Oshkosh - No one would have ever mistaken the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star Game for an Arena Football League contest.

That's because the scoreboard operator had to be better versed in subtraction than addition in what turned out to be an offense-starved meeting featuring two quick defenses and little scoring.

But the game turned into a thriller, and the South prevailed over the North, 16-10, in overtime Saturday night at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium on the UW-Oshkosh campus.

It was the lowest scoring all-star game since 2001, when 19 total points were scored.

Franklin's Rob Evans connected with Kenosha Bradford's Justin Belotti for a 25-yard touchdown to give the victory to the South. North had the ball first but missed a field goal.

"We got the offense when we needed it," said South coach Tom Swittel (Wauwatosa East). "If you look at the history of this game and the scores, it's always a defensive struggle."

North's Jacob Schmidt (Rhinelander) scored from 2 yards out with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and the extra point tied the game, 10-10. North got the score after a pass-interference call near the goal line on fourth down set up a new set of downs.

South had 105 total yards and five first downs for the entire game, although it did play with a banged-up offensive line. North was a little better with 255 yards and 17 first downs, but crucial turnovers set back its offensive attack.

One of the turnovers led to South's first score. Greendale's Eric Brunner intercepted a screen pass by the North's Brent Goska (Wisconsin Rapids) near midfield. Brunner followed a caravan of blockers for a 48-yard return to the 1-yard line.

"It was me running out of gas," Brunner said of being tripped up. "That's probably the closest I'll ever get to scoring a touchdown. It sure felt a lot longer than (48) yards."

St. Francis running back James Thomas ran it in on the next play for the game's first touchdown, with the extra point giving South a 7-0 lead with 3 minutes, 23 seconds to go in the first quarter.

North threatened to score in the second quarter from South's 21-yard line. But Goska threw a pass into double coverage in the end zone, and it was tipped and caught by South defensive back Joe Janssen (Wauwatosa East) for a touchback.

South got a 36-yard field goal from Paul Pridemore (Hartford) with 14:48 remaining in the game. The score was set up by a fumbled punt by North, which was recovered by South at the North 18.

South's offense was especially inept in the first half, with one first down and 32 total yards. It punted six times to North's two and lost the time-of-possession battle by nearly 8 minutes.

North finally got on the board thanks to a 36-yard field goal by Jake Campbell (Eau Claire Regis) with 6:59 to play in the third. The score was set up by a Jesse Vandenberg's (Kaukauna) 42-yard punt return to South's 15. But South's defense held tough again, and North lost 5 yards on the series before the field goal made it 7-3.

"I wasn't too happy with our offense," Swittel said, "but our defense played great."

North 0 0 3 7 0 - 10
South 7 0 0 3 6 - 16

First quarter - S: James Thomas, St. Francis, 1 run (Paul Pridemore kick), 3:23. Third quarter - N: Jake Campbell, Eau Claire Regis, 36 field goal, 6:59. Fourth quarter - S: Paul Pridemore, Hartford, 36 field goal, 14:48. N: Jacob Schmidt, Rhinelander, 2 run (Campbell kick), 0:03. Overtime - S: Justin Belotti, Kenosha Bradford, 25 pass from Robert Evans, Franklin, 15:00.

First downs - S 5, N 17. Total yardage - S 105, N 255. Rushing - S 28-40, N 63-142. Passing - S 20-8-1 48, N 20-6-2 83. Fumbles - S 2-2, N 3-1. Penalties - S 6-61, N 10-102. Punts - S 9-35.4, N 6-42.5.

Individual leaders - Rushing: S, Evans 17-23, Edwards 3-14; N, Schmidt 19-52, Ash 9-52, Agrell 6-23. Passing: S: Evans 13-6-1 57; Kuhtz 7-2-0 8. N: Goska 11-3-2 34; Jenson 7-2-0 40; Campbell 1-1-0 29. Receiving: S: Thomas 3-35, Belotti 1-25; N: Krueger 3-38, Senn 1-34, Biolo 1-29, Rose 1-12.