Eight Mountain Area football players selected for All-Stars

BY GWYNETH HYNDMAN - GHYNDMAN@SIERRASTAR.US

Eight Mountain Area football players, including two from Mariposa High School and six from Yosemite High School, have been selected to play at the 20th annual North/South Rotary All-Star Football Game in Chowchilla on June 24 at 7:45 p.m.

Game Director Bob Green, who has been involved in the planning and selection process of the event for 22 years, said this game usually ends with close scores.

“In the past it’s been an outstanding game,” Green said. “It’s usually won by very few points in the end - there are always great players on both teams.”

Each year, the top players from the region’s high schools are selected by three criteria.

“Number one, all 40 high schools have to be represented,” Green said. “We also chose players that can fill our open positions. And of course they have to be pretty good; we usually don’t take more than six from each [high school] team.”

This year, C.W. Morehouse and Bryce Dayhoff will be representing Mariposa High School on the South All-Stars team.

Morehouse, who was the Southern League Outstanding Running Back this year, has 243 carries for 1,528 yards and 15 touchdowns at 6.3 yards a carry as a senior.

He also has multiple 200-yard running games.

Dayhoff, an offensive lineman and linebacker, was the second leading tackler in his senior season with 53 tackles and 23 assists.

“It’s a great opportunity,” said J.C. McNally, head football coach for Mariposa High School. “It’s one of the only All-Star games that I get to make a selection for - I nominate players to the board at Rotary and they take it from there.”

Playing for the North All-Stars team will be six of Yosemite High School’s seniors: Chris Warder, wide receiver, who caught 12 touchdown passes and tallied 43 receptions for 547 yards; Alec Campbell, running back, who rushed for 1405 yards and 10 touchdowns; T.J. Grijalva, linebacker, who produced 107 tackles; Shawn Long, quarterback, who threw 29 touchdowns for 2,512 yards; Kenin Rose, linebacker, who completed 90 tackles and nine and a half sacks; Robbie Sotelo, defensive lineman, who finished with 16 and a half sacks.

Yosemite’s head coach, Aaron Eames, said he is pleased that his football team will be well-represented at the All-Stars.

“They’re recognized as some of the better players in the valley,” Eames said, adding that it’s an honor to have six of his players included in this distinction.

“Yosemite just had a good team this year,” Green said. “Those guys can really play the game.”

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