Eagles' McGrory hero of inaugural Literacy Classic

WHITTIER - The Competitive Elite Sports Literacy Classic isn’t your ordinary all-star football game.

No, on this particular night in January, mere achievements and accolades weren’t enough to guarantee these student athletes a spot on the dividing North and South rosters.

Ultimately, to compete in this exclusive all-star competition, these kids’ prowess in the classroom needed to be just as tenacious as it was on the gridiron.

“There is no success without a life of integrity,” it says on the CES web site.

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OCVarsity Hot Shots: All-Star football game

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To participate, all students must have a minimum GPA of 2.3, have already taken the SAT or ACT, and have no fails on their transcript.

Additionally, all players needed to complete five hours of community service before even stepping foot on Whittier College’s football field.

In all, 84 players from over 20 different private high schools across California participated with 22 athletes from Mater Dei, JSerra, Santa Margarita, Orange Lutheran and Whittier Christian representing Orange County.

And in the end, it was a 45-yard field goal by Santa Margarita kicker John McGrory that gave the South a 19-16 victory on Thursday night.

Orange Lutheran defensive back Willie Fletcher intercepted a pair of passes in the second quarter, the first of which set up the South’s first scoring drive, the second halted a promising North drive.

The South took the first lead of the evening after a fourth-down snap sailed over the North punter’s head and was kicked out of the end zone for a safety.

In the second quarter, North quarterback Sean Smith connected with Dylan Hall for a 34-yard touchdown.

With the South trailing by five, Fletcher’s second takeaway and subsequent return set up a 3-yard TD run by Notre Dame of Riverside’s Joshua Ivery.

A North field goal on the final play of the first half made the score 10-9.

Trailing by seven in the third quarter, JSerra defensive tackle Juan Diego Temple scooped up a fumble and returned it 61 yards for a game-tying touchdown.