Players and coaches for the North team took a photo after practice for the 47th edition of the Lions All-Star Football Game. Photo: Mark Tennis.
It was a hectic few days this week for Booker Guyton, the head football coach at Edison of Stockton and the head coach of the North team for the Central California Lions All-Star Football Game.
When practices began at Edison on Monday, Guyton was informed by nearly 10 players who had previously committed to be playing in the game that they would be opting out. He had to scramble to add several players from his own team who recently graduated from the school plus a few others from other schools.
By Wednesday, there were 26 players working out under the guidance of Edison’s coaches and there still were plenty of all-star level players and enough linemen with size and strength so that the North team should be okay in its battle with the South on Saturday night.
The scene was more calm for the South team practicing at Gregori High in Modesto. The roster was finalized on Wednesday with two new additions and three players that dropped. The duo of Trent Merzon from Oakdale and Tim Garcia from Davis of Modesto are the coaches for the South. They are being assisted by former Central Catholic head coach Mike Glines and former Oakdale head coach and former Oakdale Unified School District Superintendent Mark Malone.
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
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.
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.
The North team has been practicing at Edison High in Stockton since Monday and will be continuing on Thursday & Friday from 5 to 7 pm. The South team has been practicing and will be practicing on the same days and the same times at Gregori High in Modesto.
North Team (Alphabetical roster)
OL/DL Aveon Brown (Kimball, Tracy)
TE/DE Joshua Chavez (Stagg, Stockton)
OL Jared Codde (Stagg, Stockton)
LB Alijah Cota (Manteca)
RB Joe Cowan (Linden)
DL Jaiden Crawford (Chavez, Stockton)
PK Anthony Cuellar (Lathrop)
LB Kai Elkins (Summerville, Tuolomne)
WR/TE Ronald Green (Stagg, Stockton)
OL/DL Dylan Gulseth (Manteca)
DB Chris Hallon (Edison, Stockton)
TE/DE Mohamed Kamara (Franklin, Stockton)
DE/FB Jacob Lanticse (Linden)
DL Josiah Lockridge (Stagg, Stockton)
RB Malahki McElvaine (Edison, Stockton)
LB Zachary McMartin (Kimball, Tracy)
OL Michael Marsh (Linden)
QB Jayden McKey (Kimball, Tracy)
OL Hector Meza (Lathrop)
WR Tyree Owens (Edison, Stockton)
RB Johnel Pettus (Edison, Stockton)
QB Jerry Raguindin (Stagg, Stockton)
LB/DE Joseph Robinson (Edison, Stockton)
OL/DL Tyler Sells (Sonora)
LB Simon Smiley (Stagg, Stockton)
OL Samuel Vigil (Escalon)
DB Nadar Williams (Edison, Stockton)
South Team (Alphabetical Roster)
LB Bryant Austin (Merced)
OL Diego Barajas (Livingston)
LB Kai Brazil (Orestimba, Newman)
LB Liam Bridgford (Hughson)
DB Roland Brown (Central Catholic, Modesto)
DB Mark Carreiro (Los Banos)
PK Christian Casillas (Patterson)
DB Kailin Frade (Buhach Colony, Atwater)
QB Eleazar Garza (Golden Valley, Merced)
WR Gavin Garcia (Downey, Modesto)
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)
RB/LB 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)
