Turnovers and solid running by Peachtree Ridge’s Ronnie Smith told the tale on Saturday at Brookwood Community Stadium as the West defeated the East 49-13 in the second annual Rivalries of Gwinnett all-star game. The game matched some of the standout seniors from Gwinnett County high schools that are not participating in the North/South All-Star game, which is held on Dec. 29 in Columbus.
“It’s just a great treat for the kids,” said coach Cecil Flowe of Parkview. “It’s a big honor for them to play in the game and they’ve had a great time. They get to make new friendships with kids that they don’t know and the coaches get to intermix when they don’t generally do that. It’s just a win-win.”
Smith finished with 108 yards and two touchdowns while both teams combined for seven turnovers. The sloppy play was understandable after just a week of practice for the event.
The crowd enjoyed two spectacular plays by the two star-studded squads including a diving 51-yard touchdown catch by Destry Berry of Collins Hill and a hook-and-ladder play by the West as Collins Hill quarterback Michael Box threw a 12-yard out to Peachtree Ridge tight end Connor Orr, who flipped the ball to GAC’s Matt Cape. The play went for 22 yards and earned a healthy applause from the fans.
The game gave college prospects a chance to give one last impression for scouts in attendance. Several Football Championship Subdivision and Division II coaches traveled to Snellville to watch the game.
“There was a lot of college coaches here looking,” said Flowe. “It gives us great exposure for our county. There were a lot of college coaches here trying to make final decisions on players; ‘should we take him or not take him?’ So some of the (players) were out there trying to seal the deal.”
This was the second time the event had been held and was a bit more lopsided than last year’s inaugural event, which the West won in a much closer contest.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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