Shrine All-Star Football Game : A Late Kick Wins for North, 22-21

Mike Crisafulli, a kicker from Archbishop Mitty School in San Jose, played Walter Mitty again Saturday night.

After connecting four times during the regular season to give Mitty wins in the final seconds, Crisafulli took advantage of his biggest spotlight yet by kicking a 28-yard field goal with seven seconds left to give the North a 22-21 victory over the South in the 37th Shrine All-Star football game Saturday night before a crowd of 29,640 at the Rose Bowl.

“I wanted this to happen,� he said. “I want to be in the position to win the game.�

Crisafulli, who will attend St. Mary’s College at Moraga, Calif., got the opportunity only after an unlikely series of events, which allowed quarterback Rich Sarlatte of San Marin to become a hero, too.

Aaron Garcia of Sacramento Grant, who had played the entire game at quarterback, took the field with 1:36 to play and the North, trailing, 21-19, on its own 38. But Carson linebacker Arnold Ale, who capped his prep career with another outstanding game, knocked Garcia (16 of 27 passes for 181 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception) out of the game on a blind-side tackle in the backfield.

Enter Sarlatte, who threw one incomplete pass before hitting hit Sean LaChapelle of Napa Vintage for a 13-yard gain and then Desmond Clayton, Garcia’s teammate at Grant, for an 18-yard pickup. The ball was at the South 26 when Vernon O’Gilvie of San Francisco Lincoln had consecutive rushes of 6 and 2 yards to put the ball at the South 18.

Sarlatte threw out of bounds to stop the clock for a field-goal attempt with 14 seconds left, but the South was called for roughing the passer. O’Gilvie lost three yards on the next play, setting the stage for Crisafulli.

“I hadn’t been playing very good all week during practice,� Sarlatte said. “Aaron was going to start, and I told the coach, if he’s on don’t pull him.�

The South took its 21-19 lead with 10:04 left in the game when Bret Johnson of El Toro hit wide receiver Kyle Jan of Granada Hills with an 18-yard touchdown pass. Glyn Milburn of Santa Monica was stopped short up the middle on his attempt for a two-point conversion, a move co-Coach Dick Bruich later regretted.

A kick would have forced the North to try for the end zone to win, but Bruich didn’t have much at his disposal for the situation. The South’s kicker, Pat Blottiaux, was injured during the week, and his backup, running back-quarterback Darian Hagan of L.A. Locke hurt an ankle during pregame warm-ups and didn’t play. That left Gil Valencia of Camarillo, a wide receiver, to kick.

“I’m second-guessing myself, but we were going with our No. 3 kicker,� said Bruich, who also lost standout offensive lineman Brian Jacobs of Newhall Hart for the entire second half after an ankle injury on the last play of the second quarter. “How much confidence could I have had in our No. 3 kicker. But it was a stupid coaching move (to go for the two-point conversion).�

Milburn, named the South’s most valuable player, picked apart the North defense for 116 yards on 16 carries. Johnson finished by completing 9 of 17 passes for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns.