Big plays lead to North win over South

MERCED — Despite the presence of five players from Madera schools, the North team scored four touchdowns of 30 yards or more to win the third straight North/South Rotary All-Star football game in Golden Valley-Merced’s Veterans Stadium.

The North team scored on touchdowns of 42, 40, 77 and 31 yards. Meanwhile, the South team was held to just 147 yards of total offense and turned the ball over three times.

Three of the Madera area players got plenty of time on defense. Liberty’s leading tackler Hunter Gray got playing time at inside linebacker before he was slowed with an ankle injury. Madera South’s Thomas Doyle and Adrian Gomez also received plenty of time on defense. They even tagged up for a hard tackle on a North ball carrier. Liberty cornerback Danny Cervantes got the start and had a pass defended and didn’t get a pass completed against him.

However, the two Madera area offensive threats weren’t used as well as their defensive counterparts. Liberty running back Jackson Watts wowed the crowd with a 19-yard zig-zagging run, but he got just three carries for 21 yards...