Reporter: John Murphy

Perris, CA – All-star football games are rarely win-at-all-cost affairs.

This was borne out Saturday as the Southeast Riverside County prep
all-stars defeated the Northwest stars 23-7. The occasion was the
Riverside Sheriffs Association all-star game at Citrus Hill High.

In the end it was both teams proudly displaying awards on the cold
turf, hugging teammates and being congratulated by family and friends
who made their way down to the field.

“It feels amazing,” said Southeast linebacker Elijah Robinson, the
game’s most valuable player from Citrus Hill. “We had great chemistry
and played well on defense. It felt great to win one more time in my
stadium.”

Robinson made eight tackles to spearhead the Southeast defense.

In a game where nobody really lost, it was the team with fewer points
that produced the most exciting moment.

Trailing 20-0 in the fourth quarter, Rancho Verde’s Jordan Jefferson
of the Northwest took a kickoff on the 2-yard-line, faked a reverse
and sprinted 98 yards down the left side for a touchdown.

“We run a reverse on our kickoff and the fake froze them and I was
able to beat the last guy and make it happen,” Jefferson said. “My
linemen formed a wall. Until then we hadn’t scored, so it was cool.”

Leading 3-0 at halftime, the Southeast began to pull away mid-way
through the third quarter. Facing a fourth-and-two at the Northwest 2,
Southeast quarterback Michael Harkins of Linfield Christian faked a
handoff and then scurried around the right side for a touchdown. The
Southeast led 10-0.

“We worked on that all week,” Harkins said. “We’d been running the
trap frequently, but that time we faked it. It felt great. It was fun
to play with all of these guys I’ve known for years.”

The Southeast broke the game open on its next possession. Linfield
Christian’s Justin Manqueros bolted 43 yards for a touchdown for 17-0,
then celebrated with his teammates in the end zone in what appeared to
be some sort of row-boat pantomime. At first the officials threw a
flag, then picked it up.

“What the heck, it’s an all-star game,” said one press box observer.

The game was fun not only for the offensive playmakers like Harkins
and Manqueros, but for the in-the-trenches lineman like Jonah Sellers
of Rancho Verde and the Northwest team.

“It was great,” Sellers said. “I was able to play with a lot of my
friends who I’ve known since freshman year. We got after it.”

Southeast quarterback Brock White of Chaparral completed 8 of 14
passes for 94 yards for the Southeast. Harkins completed 6 of 8 for 68
yards and had the rushing TD.

Southeast receiver Antoine Sullivan of San Jacinto caught five passes
for 65 yards.

Elsinore running back Gemini Batimama led the Southeast’s ground game
with 62 yards on four carries. Maqueros added 57 yards on three
carries, including the long scoring run.

The game was fun not only for the offensive playmakers like Harkins
and Manqueros, but for the in-the-trenches lineman like Jonah Sellers
of Rancho Verde and the Northwest team.

“It was great,” Sellers said. “I was able to play with a lot of my
friends who I’ve known since freshman year. We got after it.”

Southeast quarterback Brock White of Chaparral completed 8 of 14
passes for 94 yards for the Southeast. Harkins completed 6 of 8 for 68
yards and had the rushing TD.

Southeast receiver Antoine Sullivan of San Jacinto caught five passes
for 65 yards.

Elsinore running back Gemini Batimama led the Southeast’s ground game
with 62 yards on four carries. Maqueros added 57 yards on three
carries, including the long scoring run.

Photographer: Felisha Carrasco