The Orange County all-star football game caught a Hail Mary pass on Wednesday morning.
The board of directors of the Costa Mesa United non-profit group voted unanimously to organize the long-running all-star game, which was cancelled in April by the Brea Lions.
The game for current high school seniors has been scheduled for June 30 at Orange Coast College at 7 p.m., said Frank Albers, an at-large board member with Costa Mesa United, a group that focuses on youth sports.
“It’s all about the kids,” Albers said. “We were heart-broken for the kids that … believed that they were going to play and for whatever reason, that was taken away from them. We thought we had the means, we have the manpower. We felt this was the right thing to do for the kids.”
The Brea Lions announced in early April that it had canceled the 58th edition of the game because of trouble securing a stadium and a date for the game. Bill McLeran, an organizer with the Brea Lions’ game, said Wednesday he approached Orange Coast College about June 30 as a date for the game but was told it wasn’t ideal.
Walt Tees, game chairman for the Brea Lions, was surprised by the news.
“I find that hard to believe since we couldn’t get that same field on that date,” Tees said. “If (the kids) can get to play in the game, that’s great.”
Orange Coast College didn’t return a phone message seeking comment.
The Brea Lions hope to organize the game in 2018.
Brethren Christian’s Pat McInally and Santa Ana’s Charlie TeGantvoort, selected to coach the Brea Lions game, will coach the game, Albers said. McInally played in the game in 1971 for Villa Park before he entered Harvard and then the NFL.
“I am so excited,” McInally said in a text message. “I dreamed for years that I would make it, and was thrilled when I did, and all these kids feel the same way.”
Added Woodbridge running back Connor McBride in a direct message via Twitter, “I’m excited to represent my school and compete against some real talent for my last high school game ever!”
