The 50th Ventura County All-Star football game Saturday at Camarillo High may be the last

Rio Mesa High running back J’Lin Wingo is off and running during a West All-Star practice at Camarillo High on Tuesday night. The Ventura County All-Star Game will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at Camarillo High.

The Ventura County All-Star football game may be 50 years old, but it is hardly in the partying mood.

The annual celebration of local football is on life support after losing its longtime sponsor, the Downtown Ventura Lions Club. The club support of the game dated back to the first game in 1974.

The search for a replacement sponsor has, so far, come up empty. Rather than cancel the game, the Ventura County Football Coaches Association has picked up the tab this year.

But VCFCA president Mike Moon warns that if attendance Saturday afternoon at Camarillo High doesn’t cover the cost of the game, it may be the last time the game is played.

“The association is fronting all the money, hosting it at Camarillo, a centralized site,” Moon said. “I’m a little scared that this doesn’t go as planned, if we don’t get enough people there to cover the cost, the game will be done at 50 years.”

The 50th anniversary East-West game, the final event of Ventura County’s 100th high school football season, will kick off at Camarillo High on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and can be purchased on GoFan.com.

Ending the game is unthinkable for St. Bonaventure High offensive tackle Shaun Torgeson, who has waited his entire childhood to suit up Saturday.

“I think it’s important to have the all-star game,” Torgeson said. “I’ve been looking forward to them and watching them for years. I’ve been waiting years for my turn to play. … There shouldn’t be a reason for it to go away.”

After leading St. Bonaventure to the CIF-State Division 2-A state championship bowl, Torgeson, the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/50th-ventura-county-star-football-221453379.html

Author : VC Star | Ventura County Star

Publish date : 2024-02-01 22:14:53

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