Here are some updates regarding the upcoming Lions All-Star Football Game that will be played Saturday, June 24 in Tracy. This is a game that is local to us in Stockton and we help the game in a volunteer capacity as a way of giving back to our local high school sports community.
It’s been four years since the Central California Lions All-Star Football Game has been played in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s back and the year No. 47 for the event will finally happen on Saturday, June 24 at Tracy High School’s Wayne Schneider Stadium.
The game was last played in June of 2019 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on the campus of Lincoln High in Stockton. It had been played in Tracy for the six years prior to that from 2013 to 2018. The Lions All-Star Football Classic began in 1974 and was held at the University of Pacific’s Memorial Stadium until 2011.
This year’s game will feature for the first time tickets that can be purchased through GoFan.com. Tickets are $10. We are asking for cash only for tickets at the game site on game day and for additional items such as t-shirts, concessions and game programs.
Here is the link to get tickets on GoFan:
https://gofan.co/app/events/997689?schoolId=CA87815
State Small Schools Players of the Year Ryker Peters of Escalon is slated to play for the North in Lions All-Star Football Game. Photo: FrontRowPreps.com.
The North won in the final seconds of the 2019 game, 19-18, to snap a six-game winless streak (one of the games was a tie). With the win, the North now leads in the overall series 25-19-1. Since the South was the home team in 2019, the North will be the home team this year.
Selected in January to be the head coaches for this year were Booker Guyton from Edison of Stockton (North) and the duo of Trent Merzon of Oakdale and Tim Garcia from Davis of Modesto (South). Coach Guyton was supposed to be the head coach of the North squad for the 2020 game that was cancelled due to the pandemic. The South coach from 2020 has moved out of state.
Merzon has retired as the head coach at Oakdale after the 2022 season and will be coaching his son, Mick, as one of the South all-stars. This final stint for Coach Merzon on the sidelines also is going to be even more special with good friend Tim Garcia serving as co-coach. The two co-coaches also will be joined on the sidelines as assistants by two other huge names in Sac-Joaquin Section football history – Mark Malone and Mike Glines.
Malone is the former head coach at Oakdale who later became superintendent of the Oakdale Unified School District. He retired in 2021 and will be traveling from out to state to be part of the Lions game.
Glines is the former head coach at Central Catholic of Modesto who retired after the 2007 season with 214 all-time wins. Glines also is the one who first hired Tim Garcia to be a football coach.
With Merzon, Glines and Lions All-Star Football Committee member Wayne Schneider all scheduled to be there for this year’s game, it will bring together three of the top coaches in the history of California football going by winning percentage for those with 150 wins or more. Glines, in fact, is still No. 2 on the all-time state list at 214-31-3 (trailing only the legendary Bob Ladouceur of Concord De La Salle) at 86.3 percent. Schneider retired in 1994 at 224-59-5 for 78.6 percent. Merzon ended with one win more than Schneider at 225-62-2, but his winning percentage was just a tick lower at 78.3.
Gates will open on Saturday, June 24 at 5 pm with pregame photos and lineups getting ready to be announced at 6 pm. Kickoff is set for 7 pm. Lions clubs attending the game also are reminded to please bring their banners for display.
GAME DEDICATION
This year’s 47th edition of the Lions All-Star Football Game is respectfully being dedicated to the memory of Gene Weatherby. Mr. Weatherby was a longtime member of the Lions All-Star Football Game committee who died last March at age 86. His son, Jason, also was recently a head coach for the North team in the game and Jason also played in the game representing Calaveras High of San Andreas. Grandson Logan Weatherby also played in the 2019 game. Gene had a long career as a civil engineer in Calaveras County.
North Team (Alphabetical roster)
OL/DL Aveon Brown (Kimball, Tracy)
TE/DE Joshua Chavez (Stagg, Stockton)
LB Alijah Cota (Manteca)
RB Joe Cowan (Linden)
DL Jaiden Crawford (Chavez, Stockton)
RB Tyrone De Loney (Lincoln, Stockton)
DB Freezandren Dosty (Edison, Stockton)
LB Kai Elkins (Summerville, Tuolomne)
TE/DE Mohamed Kamara (Franklin, Stockton)
DE/FB Jacob Lanticse (Linden)
LB Zachary McMartin (Kimball, Tracy)
OL Michiel Marsh (Linden)
WR Kurtis Maynor (Tracy)
QB Jayden McKey (Kimball, Tracy)
OL Hector Meza (Lathrop)
OL/DL Aidan Monarrez (Tracy)
WR Owen Nash (Escalon)
QB Kenyon Nelson (Lincoln, Stockton)
P Braeden Orlandi (Calaveras, San Andreas)
RB Ryker Peters (Escalon)
RB Johnel Pettus (Edison, Stockton)
QB Jerry Raguindin (Stagg, Stockton)
PK Eric Rodriguez (Edison, Stockton)
OL/DL Tyler Sells (Sonora)
LB Simon Smiley (Stagg, Stockton)
OL Samuel Vigil (Escalon)
Note: More players still need to be added to fill out North team.
South Team (Alphabetical Roster)
LB Bryant Austin (Merced)
OL Diego Barajas (Livingston)
LB Kai Brazil (Orestimba, Newman)
LB Liam Bridgford (Hughson)
Roland Brown (Central Catholic, Modesto)
DB Mark Carreiro (Los Banos)
LB Michael Edmond II (Johansen, Modesto)
DB Kailin Frade (Buhach Colony, Atwater)
DL Manvir Gakhal (Pacheco, Los Banos)
QB Eleazar Garza (Golden Valley, Merced)
QB Cole Gilbert (Turlock)
OL Cornell Gilkey (Buhach Colony, Atwater)
OL Landon Gomes (Hilmar)
OL Isaac Haro (Merced)
WR Gabriel Hernandez (Downey, Modesto)
RB Tarrell Lee-Gill (Ceres)
WR Vincent Lopez (Orestimba, Newman)
DB Nicholas Mendoza (Atwater)
WR Mick Merzon (Oakdale)
DB Jaelen Nichols (Central Catholic, Modesto)
DL Brock Osmundson (Oakdale)
OL Dorian Ramirez (Gregori, Modesto)
Jahkylle Smith (Golden Valley, Merced)
LB Kahmi Smith (Ceres)
DE LeBron Stallworth (Ceres)
WR Joey Stout (Pitman, Turlock)
DL Tito Tutonu (Davis, Modesto)
LB Cobi Twist (Davis, Modesto)
OL Nathan Valenzuela (Atwater)
DB Luis Vargas (Hilmar)
OL Fermin Villegas (Le Grand)
WR Kayson Welch (Los Banos)
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
One Comment
This is a great event put on by a great organizati. Had the opportunity to coach the North squad on 5 occasions.:’78, ’80, ’82, ’86 and ’95.
All great experiences. The North team was housed at U. Of Pacific and game was played in Pacific’s Memorial stadium.
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