This year Tracy High sends three players -- Depray Celestine, Billy Simon and Kevin Speer – and West High sends Dexter Alcala, to join the North team.
They’ll face off against the South in the 37th Annual All-Star Football Classic, 7 p.m., Saturday, June 19, at the University of the Pacific’s A.A. Stagg Stadium in Stockton. The annual contest gathers the top players from high schools around the Lions Club District 4-A1, which covers the Northern San Joaquin Valley and Foothills.
For players the game marks the end of the high school football experience in a way that allows them to remember what they love most about the game.
“Just to be selected to come out here and have one more game with my fellow players from Tracy High, it’s one last opportunity to shine,” Simon said. It’s also a chance to learn a little more about the players he faced off against as a defensive back on the Bulldog team.
“It’s a unique experience. I remember going through films and stuff, talking about specific guys from the other teams, and that’s who were playing with right now. We’re playing with the best of the best from every team in our league.”
The All-Star game is a milestone in a football experience that started when these players were youngsters.
“It feels good to play with the guys I know personally,” Alcala said. As West High’s leading running back he often found himself opposite of former teammates. “The guys from Tracy High, Depray and Billy and Kevin, we all played on Tracy Raiders so it’s a lot of fun. We’ve come back and reunited. It reminds me of old times.”
At the same time the players are part of a new team, even if it’s just for one game.
“The culture here is, everyone right off the bat, we became like a family,” Alcala said. “We became a team pretty quickly. I’m looking for a lot of good things Saturday.”
Speer also said that he appreciates a chance to work side-by-side with former opponents, and he is confident that longtime rivals have united for a common goal of winning on Saturday.
“I’m excited to see how we look in a real game. It’s cool, because we always went against each other and now it’s different,” he said. “I’ve made friends with some of the Lincoln guys. In high school I would have never done that because we’re always playing against them.”
With so many top players, it’s also a chance to show off the talent that these players will bring to college football. Alcala is headed to Sacramento State next year to play with the NCAA Division I Hornets, Simon will go to Linfield College in Oregon to play with the Division III Wildcats, Speer will play at Delta College next year, and Celestine heads to Chabot College in Hayward.
Celestine said that he’s glad to unite with players after learning firsthand about their competitive spirit during the high school seasons.
“First we competed against them and now we’re coming together as a team,” he said. “Even if we did lose or win, we put that behind us and compete together as a team.”
He added that as they head to college ball, an all-star game gets players used to the idea that they will face their toughest competition yet, even on their own teams.
“Everybody on the team is fast and strong. You have to be better than the next person to have the starting position.”
Contact Bob Brownne at 830-4227 or brownne@tracypress.com.
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