OSHKOSH — The South defeated the North 48-14 in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) Large School All-Star Game July 20, ruining the North’s chances of a sweep. In the 8-Player Game, the North edged the South 36-34, and in the Small School Game, the North scored 31 unanswered points in a 31-13 victory.

Initially, the Large School Game played out much like the Small School Game. In its first possession, the South scored on a 19-yard run from all-state quarterback Tyler Hatcher (Sussex Hamilton). With an extra point from Cooper Mueller (Franklin), the South led 7-0 within the first seven minutes.

After an empty possession by the North — highlighted by a 4-yard sack from Michael Valitchka (Verona Area) and Manny Joseph (Franklin) — Kasey Helgeson (Mount Horeb-Barneveld), an all-state quarterback, connected with Joseph Koch (Menomonee Falls) for an over-the-shoulder  20-yard touchdown pass. Koch held on to the ball through a pass interference call, which the South declined for the result of the play.

As the North did in the Small School Game, the Large School North responded with a score of its own. Ben Fritsch (Port Washington) caught two, first-down passes from all-state quarterback Adam Skifton (Onalaska), setting the North up near midfield. A 10-yard run from Jonah Severson (River Falls) —  combined with a 5-yard equipment penalty for a South athlete continuing to play without his helmet — set the team up at the South 29-yard line. Fritsch then caught back-to-back passes from Skifton, including a contested 15-yard touchdown pass. With the extra point from Miles Christenson (Menasha), the North made it a one-score game.

Unlike the Small School Game, though, the South maintained momentum. Its next scoring drive began with a tipped punt, setting the team up at its own 49-yard line. Back-to-back first-down plays put the South just outside of the red zone, where it took Koch three plays to score on an 11-yard run. Meuller’s extra point was blocked by Hudson Fore (Cedarburg), making it 20-7.

The South had another opportunity to score in the first frame, as Paul Kim (Janesville Parker) intercepted a pass at the 1-yard line. But with two minutes left until halftime, the South had too many yards to accumulate.

The interception left a flame in the South that stayed with the team in the second half, though. Tucker Grundahl (DeForest) returned the kickoff 15 yards to the South’s 43-yard line. On first-and-10, Hatcher threw a backward pass to Collin Meininger (Westosha Central), who connected with Connor Stauff (Sun Prairie East) for a 22-yard gain. Owen Leitel (Nathan Hale) carried the ball the rest of the way, resulting in a 12-yard touchdown just 1:25 into the third quarter. Mueller’s extra point put the South ahead by 20, 27-7.

Three punts and five minutes later, the South scored yet again. Helgeson completed a pass to Grundahl, who broke a tackle and ran up the right side for 20 yards. The team picked up another 20 yards on a keeper by Helgeson. The North did little to help its cause, picking up two penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct that put the South at the 6-yard line. Leitel finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown rush.

Kim intercepted his second pass of the game, as the defensive line forced Finnley Doriot out of the pocket. Doriot fired a pass into coverage, where Kim came away with the ball at the South 47-yard line. Just as it did in the first half, though, the drive came up empty.

The defensive stop led to the North’s only score of the second half. The team kept the drive alive on a third-and-inches play near midfield, as Skifton’s forward momentum gave him the first down. On the next play, 6’2’’ wide receiver Ryan Ferguson (Germantown) caught a 30-yard pass over the head of 5’11” defensive back Garrison Codde (Verona Area) for a first down. After a tackle for loss, Brady Lamon (Appleton North) let a wide-open touchdown pass slip through his fingers. He redeemed himself, though, on the next play catching a 14-yard pass in the end zone.

The North attempted an onside kick, but Benjamin Ott recovered the ball at the North 49-yard line. The team scored on back-to-back drives for a final score of 48-14.

The South had a balanced offense with 12 first downs on the ground and 12 in the air. The largest discrepancy between them and the North was net rushing yards — 173 yards to 80 yards favoring the South — and time of possession — 18:57 and 29:03 favoring the North. Interceptions and sacks also played a role, as the North threw two interceptions and was sacked twice for a combined loss of 15 yards.

Monroe’s James Seagreaves, who will continue his football career at UW-Platteville, finished the game with three assisted tackles.