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Crowd treated to a show at Fiesta Bowl

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/11/2009 10:37:05 PM PDT

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WHITTIER - The crowd was treated to flashes of brilliance Saturday night in the third annual of the Fiesta Bowl at Whittier College.

For many, this was the last time players got to represent their high schools on the field and they took advantage.

A frantic effort by the L.A. County fell short in the waning seconds as the Inland Empire came away with a 35-27 victory.

A lot of buzz surrounded Palmdale High School's Brandon Mims and he didn't disappoint.

The Iowa State-bound quarterback drove nearly four hours roundtrip for two weeks to attend the L.A. County practice at Alhambra High.

He led an 88-yard drive in the final minute but the L.A. County's bid to pull off a comeback fell short when his pass was intercepted by Summit High's Craig Payne to end the rally.

Mims, along with Murrieta Lyle Negron, earned MVP honors.

This game had a much more relaxed atmosphere than that of the "Gridiron War" a few weeks ago in Long Beach. That all-star game, also pitting the L.A. County against the Inland Empire, was halted with 11 minutes left in the game after a fight broke out.

"I wasn't worried about the score as much as the kids," LA. County coach Javier Cid said.

"We emphasized sportsmanship from day one; not to let them get distracted with little things and I think we pulled it off."

The players in this game let their play do all the talking. The L.A. County team used a trick play early in the
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first half to fuel a scoring drive that pulled them within 14-7.

The Inland Empire countered with a scramble in the final seconds of the second quarter to break a 14-14 tie after Alex Jeffries caught a 31-yard pass and give the Inland Empire a 21-14 lead heading into the half.

The San Gabriel Valley was well-represented on the L.A. County roster but it was players like Locke's Lamonta Green, L.A. Marshall's Cameron Sentence and Cathedral's Demonte Bell who created their own highlight reels with elusive speed and great field vision.

For others, injuries became an issue.

San Gabriel's Marcos Villalobos, a wide receiver, separated his left shoulder after a play in the third quarter. He did not return to the game. Muir's Josh Jones, who will walk-on at Arizona State in the fall, cramped midway through the fourth quarter.

San Gabriel's Frankie Villalobos, headed to Notre Dame on an academic scholarship, had three tackles including a touchdown-saving tackle at the 45, taking down Moreno Valley's Johnathan North midway through the third. That play forced the Inland Empire to punt.

St. Francis' Rian Younker will be headed to Cal Lutheran next season and Muir's Marcus Graves will be at Idaho State, and Cid felt this game was the beginning of their next phase.

"We don't treat this as the last high school game," Cid said, "but as the first college game of their lives."

miguel.melendez@sgvn.com

(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4485




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