VERO BEACH — Eighty senior football players from 28 different schools faced off at the Citrus Bowl Friday night for the inaugural Florida East Coast All-Star Game.
The Treasure Coast All Stars were led by Vero Beach Varsity Football Coach Lenny Jankowski and the Space Coast All Stars were led by Tim Powers of Eau Gallie High School. Each team picked the best senior players from their areas and selected the top coaches from those areas as their assistants. Players practiced as a team for the first time earlier in the week.
“On the first day of practice we kind of knew what to expect,” Coach Jankowski said. “All of the blue helmets were together; all of the yellow helmets were together all of the red helmets were together and so on. But as we progressed we saw more and more of the helmets blending in together.”
Players on the Treasure Coast team wore black uniforms and players on the Space Coast team wore white uniforms but all players wore their respective helmets from their schools. Vero Beach (8), Sebastian River (3), Saint Edwards (1) and John Carroll (2) were the local teams that helped fill out the roster for the Treasure Coast team.
Bill Motta, former Vero Beach Defensive Coordinator and current Head football Coach at Saint Edwards, was back on the sidelines of Billy Livings field to help coach the defensive backs for the Treasure Coast team.
“It’s great to be a part of this game,” Motta said. “There is so much talent on this field and it gives these kids a great opportunity to show some college coaches what they have to offer. There are several great kids and great coaches out here tonight- it’s very special.”
In the first quarter neither team seemed to produce much offensively as the two teams attempted to warm up to the unseasonably frigid weather. Vero Beach kicker Jason Rivas hit a 27 yard field goal for the only points of the quarter and a 3-0 Treasure Coast lead.
The Space Coast team answered with 6:31 left in the second quarter on a 45 yard touchdown run by Cocoa running back Lorrenzo Pratt. Vero kicker Jason Rivas recorded his second field goal from 25 yards out with 31 seconds left in the first half to bring the Treasure Coast team within one point 7-6.
In the third quarter Satellite kicker Austin Downie made a 42-yard field goal to give Space Coast a 10-6 lead. With 1:09 left in the third Treasure Coast responded when Fort Pierce Central quarterback Sam Vaughn converted a fourth down pass to Vero Beach receiver Javonte Bagley to pick up a much needed first down.
South Fork running back Uzziah Davis scored from 19 yards out to give Treasure Coast the 12-10 lead after the extra point attempt failed. Cocoa Beach running back Jamal Eveillard initially fumbled the ensuing kickoff before running it back 95 yards for a touchdown with 9.8 seconds left in the third. Space Coast led after three 17-12.
The Space Coast team scored again in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard touchdown catch by Cocoa Beach receiver Antoine Griffin with 12:33 left in the game. Satellite kicker Austin Downie made a 30-yard field goal with less than 10 minutes to go in the game that closed the door on the Treasure Coast team 27-12.
“This was a great opportunity to show off the talent that we have in our area,” Jankowski said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the opportunity to play in the southern all-star game due to the structuring of the region. So we wanted to create this game to give players from our area and up north a chance to showcase their talents. To see these kids, who normally compete against each other all season long come together is what this game is all about.”
