LOS GATOS — When Hudson Vye saw the ball in the air, time slowed down.
“I saw the ball pop in the air, and I immediately went to catch it,” Leland’s senior linebacker said. “I had to hop over a dude in order to get it. And I just ran.”
Ninety-seven yards, to be exact, from one end of the field to the other. Vye’s fumble recovery touchdown was a stunning turn in a wacky 50th anniversary edition of the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game at Los Gatos High School, one that all but clinched a 22-6 win for the South team in one of the most unpredictable editions the storied showcase has ever seen.
“It was a very surreal moment,” Vye said of his game-changing play. “So I was very happy with what happened. That was the fastest I’ve ever run.”
Nothing was normal about this all-star matchup, which pitted 99 of the South Bay’s best senior high school football players against each other on North and South teams. It was fitting that the golden edition of the game – named in honor of legendary former Los Gatos coach Charlie Wedemeyer, who died from ALS in 2010 – brought something special to the table.
There were multiple winning plays on special teams. For a while, that was just about all there was.
The South team led 3-0 at the half, as only a 35-yard field goal by Santa Teresa’s Casey Carr kept the game from being scoreless. But in the third quarter, the South squad got on the scoreboard in earnest.
Overfelt receiver Asziah Smith caught a screen pass from Christopher quarterback Jaxen Robinson and broke a tackle before sprinting to the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown.
“The defense, we kept stopping them, and that kind of brought our energy up,” Vye said.
The South’s vibes reached an all-time high on Vye’s signature play. With the North team driving downfield and inside the red zone near the end of the third quarter, South’s defense forced a fumble on a handoff to Mountain View’s Diego Ortega-Gerow that popped high up into the air.
Vye settled under it, navigated through some initial traffic and broke free down the sideline, utilizing the speed that enabled him to run for nearly 1,000 yards with Leland during the regular season.
“I left it all out on the field,” Vye said. “I tried my hardest, and it clearly paid off. We got a W.”
South coach Steve Papin of Santa Teresa played in one edition of the Wedemeyer game and coached two before Saturday, losing one and tying another. He was happy his team got the win this time.
“To play in it 35 years ago, it was the highlight of my senior year,” Papin said. “I wanted to play in the Wedemeyer All-Star Game. And then to be able to coach it, it’s full circle. It means a lot. It’s the best of the best. It’s not only the players, but coaches. For us to be out here, you’ve got to be a pretty good coach to be able to coach in this thing. So that’s an honor.”
Though his team didn’t come out on the right side of the ledger this time, North coach Paul Rosa of Wilcox felt a similar sentiment.
“During the game, it’s pretty competitive,” Rosa said. “But you just want everybody to get their play in. That’s what it’s about, to honor the all-stars. They should be rewarded for the season they played.”
Several players stood out for the South team in the win. Carr made three total field goals, adding a 48-yarder and a 28-yard to his first-quarter boot to help South seal the win. Live Oak defensive end Zurik Peery was all over the field and collected three sacks.
“I’m so thankful,” Carr said. “Ever since last year, I’ve always wanted to play in this game. I saw some of my teammates playing this game last year; I actually went to the game. My goal this year was to make it to this game. And after making it to this game, I’m just so thankful to be here. I’m so thankful I’ve been chosen. I’m so thankful for everyone setting up this game in general.”
For the North team, St. Francis’ Aaron Knapp scored the lone touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. Wilcox’s Brayden Rosa played both ways, collecting several tackles defensively and helping implement some of his father’s patented veer option plays on offense.
Archbishop Mitty’s Jonah Kroenung completed a 44-yard pass to teammate Billy Hutton, setting North up with great field position before Vye’s fateful fumble runback.
Overall, the night was a display of everything high school football has to offer at its best – the sublime, the unbelievable and the mind-boggling, all in the same game.
“My rival school was on this team, and it was really nice to get to know them,” Vye said. “On the field, when we’re with my regular high school, we’re enemies. But here, we’re teammates, we’re brothers. I got to know them really well, and we all got along. It was really good. I made a lot of new friends, new lifelong memories.”
Players honored at halftime
Three special awards were handed out at the half to players participating in the contest. Lucy Wedemeyer, Charlie’s widow, helped present the honors to the chosen trio at midfield.
Palo Alto’s Roman Jacobs, who has battled through an ACL tear as well as his mother’s cancer diagnosis, was named the winner of the Coaches Against Cancer Spirit of a Champion Award.
Los Gatos’ RJ Canaan won the Dwight Clark Award, granted to a player who embodies Clark’s rare talent and inspirational spirit.
And Knapp took home the Charlie Wedemeyer Never Give Up Award after successfully overcoming a cancer diagnosis earlier in his high school career. Knapp battled lymphoma ahead of his junior season, beat the disease and returned to the field to lead St. Francis to a CCS Division I championship in his senior year.
