Six senior standouts from the Manteca area have been selected to participate in the 49th Central California Lions All-Star Football Game on Saturday, June 21 at Tracy High’s Wayne Schneider Stadium.
Valley Oak League champion Manteca will be represented by inside linebacker Ruben Moreno, offensive tackle Tomasi Sovatabua and defensive lineman Isaiah White. Sierra quarterback Zak Willson and his top receiver Tali Vaipuna are joining the trio of Buffaloes on the North team, as is Sean Teu of Western Athletic Conference champion Lathrop.
Participating high schools hail from the Lions International District 4A-1. The North is comprised of athletes from San Joaquin, Amador Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. They’ll tangle with the South team from Stanislaus and Merced counties.
The South has won five of the last six, including an 18-15 thriller decided in the final seconds last year. The North leads the all-time series, 26-19-2.
Leading the North is St. Mary’s coach Tony Franks, while Jeremy Plaa of Downey guides the South. Franks is one of the winningest coaches in the Sac-Joaquin Section, ranking seventh all-time with a 234-80-2 record. For Plaa, it’s his third time spearheading the South, previously doing so in 2003, then as Gustine coach, and in 2015.
Franks is getting some battle-tested and productive players from area schools.
Moreno is the VOL’s reigning Co-Outstanding Defensive Player, White earned the same distinction as a junior and is a four-year varsity starter and Sovatabua was named the league Lineman of the Year after a dominant senior campaign at left tackle for Manteca’s powerful running attack.
Teu is a three-time member of the All-WAC first-team defense and was a big part of Lathrop’s historic season that included its first-ever conference title and semifinal appearance in the SJS Division V playoffs.
Willson stood out as a playmaker in Sierra’s spread offense, earning him two All-VOL first-team selections. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Vaipuna enjoyed a breakout senior campaign that also landed him all-league first-team honors.
Kickoff for the all-star game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Admission cost is $15, and tickets can be purchased on GoFan.
