LAGUNA HILLS – Some are fueled by painful memories from the fall.
Others hope for one last, successful audition in front of college scouts.
Others seek the enjoyment of another game under the lights or the allure of a new rivalry.
The county team for Saturday night’s inaugural Orange County vs. Inland Empire All-Star Classic will carry several forms of motivation to Corona High, but make no mistake, the squad led by El Toro coach Robert Frith will be excited.
“I want bragging rights over Inland Empire,” Foothill offensive lineman Pat Di Carlo said. “As soon as I read (about the game) … I went straight to my coach and I was like, ‘Coach, I need to play in this.’ ”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Matt Logan of Centennial of Corona will lead the Inland Empire team.
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O.C. vs. I.E. All-Star Classic
Saturday, at Corona High, 7 p.m.
Fan info: Tickets can be purchased at the game; adults, $10; students, $7; parking, $5. … Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
Full team rosters are listed at the bottom of this story.
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Count Di Carlo (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) among the players looking to gain a recruiting boost from the game with National Signing Day just 11 days away. Coaches from Azusa Pacifc and Pacific scouted O.C. practices this week.
The uncommitted Di Carlo hopes to play well against an Inland Empire defensive front expected to include BYU commit Tevita Mo’unga of Vista Murrieta and Northwestern commit Trent Goens of Chino Hills.
“So the better I do, the better I’m going to look,” said Di Carlo, who has been offered by Army, Division II Western Oregon and Western New Mexico, and is sought by Cal as a preferred walk-on.
Mission Viejo running back Rome Innocenzi is another Orange County all-star who could use the game’s recruiting exposure.
Innocenzi starred for the Diablos during their postseason run to the CIF-SS West Valley Division title – rushing for 707 yards in four games – but he missed time early in the season with ankle and hip injuries.
“It’s been pretty slow so far,” Innocenzi said of his recruiting. “I’ve talked to a few small schools. As of right now, I’m probably going to go to junior college and transfer (from there).”
Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson doesn’t understand why Innocenzi hasn’t received more interest from colleges, but the senior running back doesn’t seem too stressed about his recruiting.
“The first thing (drawing me to this game) was to just play for fun, play with my friends,” he said. “The second thing was to help me with colleges, but I just like playing football. I want to play one more high school game.”
Innocenzi didn’t hide his enthusiasm after a practice this week at Laguna Hills High. He sprinted to join the other players as they traded school stickers for their helmets. The senior wanted an Edison logo.
Corona del Mar defensive end Parker Chase (6-3, 215) racked up 22 sacks in the fall, but the first-team All-County pick hasn’t been heavily recruited. But like Innocenzi, his motivation for Saturday’s game is more about his love of the game than raising his recruiting profile.
“(I) can’t get enough,” said Chase, who will visit Holy Cross next weekend. “It’s always fun to play another game of football. I just love the sport. It’s an honor to be out here.”
Capistrano Valley safety Adam Gordon jumped at his chance to play in the all-star game because of the way his senior season ended in late November. He left the Cougars’ CIF-SS Southwest Division semifinal loss against San Clemente with a kidney injury that sent him to the hospital.
Gordon said he took a hit to the kidney after a reception.
“I didn’t want my high school career to end like that,” he said. “I feel this might be a little redemption for me.”
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ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STARS ROSTER
Head Coach: Robert Frith (El Toro)
Assistant coaches: Grant Frum, El Toro; Mark Mulkerin, Mater Dei (retired); Dan O’Shea, Corona del Mar; Jason Hyland, El Toro; Dan Williams, El Toro; Michael Todisco, El Toro; Michael Mayoral, El Toro; Richard Beatie, El Toro; Kevin Hetting, Corona del Mar; Eric Acciani, El Toro; Andy Jacobs, El Toro; Josh Meyerson, El Toro; B.Jay Parsons, Woodbridge; John Donnelly, San Clemente
Offense
QB: Trey Tinsley (El Toro), Anthony Navarro (Villa Park).
RB: Rome Innocenzi (Mission Viejo), Adrian Contreras (Mater Dei), JD Pickell (Orange Lutheran).
WR: Kaleb Fossum (El Toro), Ethan Aguayo (JSerra), Jake Smeltzer (Tesoro), Taylor Dodds (El Toro), Conner Hill (Mission Viejo), Jaelon Blandburg (Orange Lutheran), Hudson Hankins (Orange Lutheran) Sam Philippi (JSerra), Brendan Lane (El Toro).
OL: Pat DiCarlo (Foothill), Tommy Garcia (Servite),Freddy Campos (Mission Viejo), Matt James (El Toro), Jake Nelson (San Juan Hills), Zack Hickman (Tesoro), Jake Bland (Mission Viejo), Quinn Hudak (Huntington Beach).
Defense
DL: Nick Ferenbach (Tesoro), Havili Eteaki (Servite), Harrison Carter (Corona del Mar), Logan Wetherholt (Foothill), Parker Chase (Corona del Mar), Victor Reyes (El Toro), Manase Time (Edison), Chris “Chi-Cho” Rodriguez (San Clemente).
LB: Justin Parcells (Servite), Josh Sanchez (El Toro), Christian Webb (Mission Viejo), Aaron Matthews (JSerra), Jason Lind (Orange Lutheran), Parker Godfrey (Mission Viejo).
DB: Tristen Kafentzis (Tesoro), Austen Christian (Garden Grove), Danny Ngo (El Toro), Sharky Reza (Edison), Matt Buoncristiani (Tesoro), Quintin Pounds (Cypress), Rick Ellison (Santa Margarita), Adam Gordon (Capistrano Valley).
Special Teams
K: Ryan Eisendrath (Woodbridge), Charlie Beall (St. Margarets)
P: Dominic Scotto (JSerra).
INLAND EMPIRE ALL-STARS ROSTER
Head Coach: Matt Logan (Centennial)
Assistant coaches: Kevin Kyker, Riverside Poly; Bill Murray, Centennial; Steve Viapulu, Riverside Poly; Mike Meneiros, Riverside Poly; Trevor Bermudez, Centennial; Paul Farnham, Centennial; Aaron Karmann, Riverside Poly; Kunane Burns, Centennial; Jeremy Smith Centennial; Mark Gonzalez, Riverside Poly; Dan Herring, Centennial; Casey Richardson, Centennial; Corie Ryan, Centennial; OP Viapulu, Riverside Poly; Dan Binyon, Centennial; Bill Stacy, Centennial; Mike Nicks, Centennial; Bill Carter, Centennial; John Myerly Centennial; Mike Kelly, Riverside Poly; John Myerly, Centennial; Leo Perez, Centennial.
Offense
QB: Chandler Drachslin (Poly), Nate Ketteringham (Centennial).
RB: Devontre Hale (Poly), Terrell Lee (Vista del Lago), Jacob Guglielmana (Elsinore).
WR: Nathan Meadors (San Gorgonio), Brenden Bixler (Santiago), Josh Evans (Poly), Chase Stephens (Rancho Cucamonga), Louis Mayela (Centennial).
OL: Sid Acosta (Centennial), Bryson Bridges (Chaparral), Dakota Ramsey (Poly), Ryan Johs (King), Gage Guerra (Centennial), Eric Villalobos (Kaiser), Julian Rodriguez (San Gorgonio), Clay Garcelli (Chino Hills), Axel Uveakovi (Heritage)
Defense
DL: Trent Goens (Chino Hills), Quentin Yontz (Centennial), Tevita Mo’unga (Vista Murrieta), Kyon Clark (Carter), Anthony Bravo (Norco), Daniel Gonzalez (Centennial), Francisco Perez (Corona).
LB: Jamal Goodman (Centennial), Evan Telliard (Poly), Jakob Diaz (REV), Manny Burgess (Temecula Valley), Kaylan Thomas (Etiwanda), Christian Decker-Weible (Heritage), Tay Winston (Centennial).
DB: Isaiah Armstrong (REV), Ykili Ross (Poly), Brandon Worthy (Vista Murrieta), Zamore Zigler (Carter), Kevin Herch (Poly), Brandon Mills (Norco), Christian Rabay (Centennial), La’Met Folwer (Poly).
Special Teams
K/P: Gerson Moreira (Vista del Lago)
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
