SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Tackled 3 yards short of the end zone as time expired, West quarterback Casey Pierce had every reason to be disappointed following the East's 21-14 victory in the annual East-West high school football all-star game at John Carroll on Friday. But Pierce was smiling.
West quarterback Casey Pierce (Normandy) somehow eludes the grasp of Austin Pickens (Cleveland Heights) on Friday at John Carroll University.
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(Thomas Ondrey / PD)
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Tackled 3 yards short of the end zone as time expired, West quarterback Casey Pierce had every reason to be disappointed following the East's 21-14 victory in the annual East-West high school football all-star game at John Carroll on Friday.
But Pierce was smiling.
"It was one of the most exciting games I've ever been a part of," said Pierce, a 6-4 left-hander from Normandy. "Two weeks ago, we did not know each other and we came together and became great friends and played as one. That's a very hard thing to do, picking up offenses and molding together, but we did it well."
It showed -- on both sides -- in the closing minutes.
Pierce threw two touchdown passes and was named the West's Most Valuable Player. The East MVP was tailback Isaiah Chambers (Chanel), who scored twice: a 41-yard TD run to start the scoring in the second quarter, and the game-winner on a 1-yard leap over the line with 1:51 remaining in the fourth.
The latter TD followed a 61-yard catch and run by wideout Steven Yarbrough (Beachwood), who reeled in Jake Voigt's (Solon) pass and broke a tackle at the 38. Voigt passed for 161 yards.
Pierce guided the ensuing drive from the 20, completing passes of 42 yards to Joe Lowe (Westlake), 21 yards to Dave Moglinicki (Midpark) and 18 yards to Bo Heinemann (Berea) at the 12 with 10.5 seconds left.
East defensive back James Bullock (Collinwood) broke up a pass in the end zone with 0.9 seconds left.
On the final play, Pierce, who threw a touchdown on the last play of the first half, dropped back, pulled the ball in and took off. He cut to the left, where he was chased down by linebacker Bobby Gittinger (Chanel).
"I've done it before, a game-winning touchdown like that, but that time it didn't work out," Pierce said. "It was just two body lengths [short], and a great job by the defender, because I didn't think I was going down for anything."
Chambers' 41-yard run in the second quarter gave the East a 7-0 lead. On the last play of the first half, Pierce rolled to his left and zipped an 8-yard TD pass to Lowe in the back of the end zone.
An early fourth-quarter interception and 59-yard return by defensive back Carlos Hawthorne (John F. Kennedy) sparked the East. Ronnel Spates (Villa Angela-St. Joseph) scored three plays later on a 3-yard run.
Pierce's 5-yard TD pass to Jose Sanchez and John Rodriguez's (North Olmsted) kick tied it, 14-14, with 4:14 remaining.
Moglinicki had a big game for the West. He chased down Hawthorne and tackled him at the 15 after his interception. Moglinicki also punted four times for a 47.25 average and caught four passes for 76 yards.
In a pregame ceremony, the game was dedicated to the late Plain Dealer sportswriter Dick Zunt, whose family was honored at midfield.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661