7/15/03 Thirty recent high school graduates gathered around on the edge of the Lompoc High football practice field Monday afternoon as John Hamson gave them a pep talk.

Hamson, a Santa Ynez construction man 77 and as a representative of the Santa Barbara Kiwanis Club a driving force behind the Santa Barbara County High School All-Star Football Game for decades 77 had a couple points to make.

"This is an all-star game. We have fun with it," he said.

So please don/t do anything to get kicked out of the game in the first quarter, he added. That will not be pleasing to your Uncle Albert and Aunt Matilda who came all the way from Timbuktu, he pointed out.

Hamson went on for a bit, talking about the bonds that will be formed over the next two weeks as the North Stars practice for their Friday, July 25 game with the South at La Playa Stadium.

Then head coach Robin Luken of Lompoc High stepped in.

"You guys ready to go?", he asked.

"OK. You/re all from the North now," Luken said. "It/s not Righetti (or Santa Maria, Lompoc, Cabrillo, Santa Ynez, St. Joseph or Valley Christian.)

"So let/s have a " /North/ on three," Luken said.

The Stars let out with a "North" and practice began.

With Luken and his LHS staff as the coaches and with Brave Andrew Jones, who quarterbacked Lompoc to a CIF championship last fall, calling signals, it is certain that the North will use a bit of Lompoc Delaware Wing T on offense.

But, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Roger Pacheco pointed out, the North also has a good option quarterback in Santa Maria/s Brad Bowen.

And, all-purpose assistant Dick Barrett added, "Our size advantage up front is a slam-dunk."

"So," said Pacecho, thinking out loud, "you might see a little more /power/ football than you/ve seen lately from the Braves.

That size up front on offense includes 6-foot-5, 350-pound Luis Espinoza of Santa Maria, 6-4, 235 Kris Elliott of Righetti, 6-3, 265 Eric Murchison of Righetti, 6-3, 255 Greg Shibata of Righetti and. 6-3, 240 Matt Sims of Lompoc.

According to County Game rules, each side is allowed three offensive sets and has to tell the other side what defense it will use, Pacheco noted.

Besides Jones, Sims and the coaching staff, others from Lompoc on the squad are running back Matt Winn, linebacker Nathan Mendoza, offensive lineman Nathan Tremblay and defensive linemen Michael Morales and Mike Slaughter.

Winn is on vacation 77 actually playing football on vacation in Australia 77 until next week. Mendoza is playing in the state Babe Ruth baseball tourney in Kingsburg.

Lompoc running back Robert Adams, like Winn an All-CIF selection, is headed to Charleston Southern on a football scholarship and will not be able to play in the County game.

Cabrillo grads in the game are receiver Adam Drake, linebacker Matt Miller and linemen Kirk Reed and Daniel Miranda.