The East All-Star team outplayed the West All-Star team in Saturday’s 76th annual N.C. Coaches Association East West All-Star Game.

The team from the East, under the leadership of Bill Sochovka, the head coach of Pine Forest, emerged victorious with a score of 35-7. The West team was guided by Butch Carter, the head coach of Alexander Central.

The East team secured their second consecutive win with a 14-0 victory in the July game. This year marked the first time in 76 years that the event was held in December, one week after the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s state championships. The NCCA made this change in hopes of including more of the state’s top players in the game, as many were previously unable to participate due to its scheduling in July.

The West team was led by Jaquavion Smith from Forest Hills, Antonio Simpson from Polk County, Christian Lewis from A.C. Reynolds, and Jaden Pierce from Shelby. Meanwhile, the East team had Alex Evans from Clinton, Joel Sheehan from Holly Springs, Isaiah Crumpler from D.H. Conley, and Landon Sargent from Cape Fear as their captains.

Joel Sheehan from Holly Springs High School began the game as the quarterback for the East team. Tim Hammonds from Red Springs, Robert Magwood from New Bern, Preston Lilley from Leesville Road, Carter Jacobs from Middle Creek, and Jodi Freeman from Purnell Swett were the starting offensive linemen.

Zay Jones, a running back from Scotland, and Tyjhere Crudup, a rusher from Laney, helped the East team gain two first downs.

After a few plays, the East team was in a third-and-four situation at the 50-yard line. Sheehan ran for a first down, but it was nullified because of a holding penalty by the offensive line. On third-and-14, Sheenan was able to evade defenders and gain 21 yards for another first down.

Afterwards, Sheehan passed to D.H. Conley wide receiver Isaiah Crumpler, resulting in a 24-yard gain and bringing the ball to the West 4-yard line. The following play saw the East team in a single wing formation, allowing Crudup to make his way into the end zone from four yards away. This gave the East team a 7-0 lead with 6:14 remaining in the first quarter.

The opening drive for the West team resulted in a three-and-out. Tanner Moore, representing Alexander Central, was chosen by his coach and West head coach Butch Carter to start as quarterback. The offensive line consisted of Graham Buckrham from Grimsley, Tate Robertson from Page, Hayden Lam from Northeast Guilford, and Spencer Baldwin from Mount Airy.

Walker Stroup, from Mount Airy, successfully punted for 35 yards in the week following his team’s 1A state championship win. However, Heritage High School’s Brandon Crutchfield, who plays both wide receiver and defensive back, returned the punt to the West 20-yard line. Unfortunately, the play was nullified due to a holding penalty on the East receiving team. As a result, the East took possession of the ball on their own 31-yard line.

During their second possession, the East team was only able to gain a total of six yards. At 3:54 remaining on the clock, Juan Hernandez from Pine Forest punted the ball to the West team’s 25-yard line.

Crest quarterback Ny’Tavious Huskey completed a 32-yard pass to Reagan High’s Cassidy Harvin to move the ball into East territory for the first time. Huskey hit Harvin again on the next play to advance the ball to the 34-yard line of the East. Huskey mishandled the next snap but managed to recover it for an eight-yard loss on the 42-yard line.

Eli Tillery, the quarterback for Draughn High School, joined the game and successfully threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Harvin. Harvin caught the ball in his chest near the 5-yard line. The score was tied at 7-7 with 1:10 remaining in the first quarter.

Crudup was tackled behind the line of scrimmage, but he managed to gain 23 yards and secure a first down for the East team at their own 43-yard line. Jones also gained a few yards before the end of the first quarter.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the East team was in a third-and-three situation at midfield. Javon Cowan, a runner for Triton, was able to gain the first down, but it was nullified due to a hold. On third-and-13, Sheehan was unable to complete a pass to Rico McDonald from Cape Fear. As a result, Hernandez punted the ball to the West 36-yard line.

On their subsequent drive, the West team was unable to advance the ball, resulting in a turnover. Isaiah Crumpler of Conley High School returned the ball 12 yards, bringing it to the East team’s 42-yard line.

Crudup gained a first down during the initial series of the East’s drive. Sheehan executed a successful wide receiver screen to Jordan Davis from South Brunswick High, who advanced to the West’s 35-yard line. Later, the East team attempted a trick play resulting in Northern Nash’s Randall King throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to an open Crumpler in the middle of the field. This gave the East a 14-7 lead with 8:09 remaining in the second quarter.

Huskey sparked a successful offensive push for the West team after regaining possession. Huskey’s quick movement moved the ball to the East team’s 45-yard line. Soon after, Huskey connected with Murphy’s running back Hunter Stalcup for a 10-yard gain and a new set of downs. However, on the next play, Huskey slipped and was tackled by Braxton Lassiter of Leesville Road High on third-and-one. After an unsuccessful pass on fourth-and-four, Huskey turned the ball over on downs.

The East team failed to make any progress on their next drive and kicked the ball to the West at the 32-yard line.

During the first play of the following West series, Huskey threw a forward pass to Stalcup on a sweep, gaining 19 yards. However, the drive was soon halted by Crumpler, who made two consecutive tackles for a loss, resulting in a third-and-20 for the West team. Huskey attempted to scramble on third down but his pass to Harvin was incomplete.

Sheehan successfully passed to King, resulting in a first down after the punt. On the subsequent play, Sheehan ran up to the West 45-yard line and was tackled out of bounds. The referees deemed there were personal fouls on both teams, resulting in the down being replayed. On the next play, Sheehan threw to Crumpler for 18 yards, bringing the team back into West territory at the 34-yard line. After an unsuccessful run, the East team called a timeout.

On a third-and-10 play, Sheehan threw a precise pass to King along the boundary, resulting in a first down at the West team’s 21-yard line. Sheehan then completed a pass to Cowan, gaining yardage up to the West team’s 11-yard line. With only one second remaining in the half, Sheehan quickly stopped the clock. Unfortunately, the West team was able to block Hernandez’s 28-yard field goal attempt, bringing an end to the first half.

During the latter half of the game, the West team failed to make a first down on their first possession. They also had a botched punt, resulting in the East team gaining control of the ball on the West’s 33-yard line.

K.J. Pollock, the quarterback for Northside-Jacksonville, threw a successful pass to King, resulting in a first down at the West 20-yard line. However, a few plays later, Pollock’s pass was intercepted by Dillan Earp from Hibriten at the West 16-yard line.

The East team committed a personal foul, resulting in a penalty and giving the West team a first down at their own 43-yard line. The West team was then faced with a third-and-10 situation. Later on, during a third-and-three play from midfield, the East team managed to stop the West team, making it a fourth-and-two. The West All-Stars called a timeout before attempting the fourth down from the East team’s 49-yard line. Despite Huskey’s attempt to evade pressure and throw the ball to Harvin, it fell just out of reach for a potential touchdown. If Huskey had been able to release the ball with less pressure, Harvin may have been able to score.

Tyler Davis, the quarterback for Gray’s Creek High School, led the East team in their next possession. On the second play, Davis ran for a first down. Javon Cowan from Triton High School also picked up a first down, followed by Laney High School’s Crudup. Crudup then scored his second touchdown of the game from 13 yards out. This gave the East team a 21-7 lead with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter.

The East team started their possession at the 20-yard line due to a personal foul and offsides penalty on the first kickoff. The West team gained possession at their own 39-yard line.

On the first play, Huskey threw a laser to Harvin in the middle of the field. However, the East team was able to knock it away. The same scenario occurred on third-and-10 when Huskey threw to Antonio Simpson from Polk County. The East team once again knocked it away. Later on, Charlie Birtwistle from South Point successfully kicked a punt for nearly 50 yards.

Sheehan threw a pass down the left side to Cape Fear receiver Rico McDonald, resulting in a 28-yard gain. The East team received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after the game, setting them back to their own 24-yard line. Despite this setback, Sheehan completed a pass to King while scrambling, putting the East team at third-and-one on their own 33-yard line. On this third down, Cowan from Triton received a direct snap and ran through a gap on the left side for a 67-yard touchdown. This gave the East team a 28-7 lead with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter.

After successfully retrieving an onside kick, the West team gained possession of the ball on their 50-yard line. However, during a third-and-long play, Huskey from Rolesville was tackled by Russell Sykes, resulting in a significant loss for the team. The East team then took over on their own 30-yard line following a punt. This punt marked the end of the third quarter.

During the subsequent possession, the East team gradually advanced the ball towards the end zone. However, after gaining 45 yards, the West team successfully prevented the East from converting on a third-and-5 play, setting up a fourth-and-5 situation. Despite making a catch on fourth down, the East team ultimately lost possession of the ball due to a fumble. The West team took over at their own 30-yard line.

After only one play in the West drive, they fumbled the ball and returned possession to the East. The East team gained control of the ball on the West’s 32-yard line.

Sheehan successfully completed a pass to McDonald for a first down, but was tackled on the following play. One play after, Stroup from Mount Airy intercepted Sheehan while playing as safety.

The West team quickly returned possession of the ball to the East by punting.

Shortly after the turnover, Cowan from Triton managed to score another impressive touchdown. This time, he sprinted 48 yards down the right sideline. This brought the East team to a commanding 35-7 lead with only 1:58 remaining in the game.

The Western team advanced the ball into Eastern territory, but was intercepted by the Eastern team when Cleveland High School’s linebacker Gage Tremaine tipped the ball to defensive back Josiah Peters. This occurred with approximately one minute remaining in the game.

The East team successfully managed to use up the last minute of game time without any complications.

Source: highschoolot.com